Vineeth Devi Prasad Rao

History 243 – Tocqueville’s America

September 30, 2015

Tocqueville’s America (p. 220-248) & What Hath God Wrought (p. 164-176)

SECTION 1 – Definitions

caprice

A sudden change or turn of the mind without apparent or adequate

motive; a desire or opinion arbitrarily or fantastically formed; a freak,

whim, mere fancy.

The disposition of a mind subject to such humours; capriciousness.

A work of irregular and sportive fancy.

candour

Brilliant whiteness; brilliancy. Obs.

Stainlessness of character; purity, integrity, innocence. Obs.

Freedom from mental bias, openness of mind; fairness, impartiality,

justice.

Freedom from malice, favourable disposition, kindliness; ‘sweetness of

temper, kindness’ (Johnson). Obs.

Freedom from reserve in one's statements; openness, frankness,

ingenuousness, outspokenness.

auto-da-fé

A religious ceremony demonstrating commitment to Catholicism held

by the Spanish or Portuguese Inquisition prior to the punishment of

prisoners, such as blasphemers, bigamists, and witches, as well as

heretics. hist. in later use.

The execution of a sentence of the Inquisition; esp. the public burning

of a heretic. hist. in later use.

A public humiliation, condemnation, or punishment, esp. by a mob.

An act of destroying something (esp. a piece of art or writing) by

burning; spec. a burning of material considered offensive, subversive,

or heretical.

SECTION 2 – People, Places or Things

1. Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, known by his stage name Molière (1622-

1673), was a French playwright and actor who is considered to be one

of the greatest masters of comedy in Western literature.

2. Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778) was a philosopher, writer, and

composer of the 18th century. His political philosophy influenced the

Enlightenment in France and across Europe, as well as aspects of the

French Revolution and the overall development of modern political and

educational thought.

SECTION 3 – Important Question

What does Tocqueville mean by “the tyranny of the majority” in

relation to the national character and spirit of the Americans?

Tocqueville recognizes that democracies are vulnerable to the tyranny of the

majority. He also concludes that up to his time, “the effects of the tyranny of

the majority have made themselves felt more on mores than on the conduct

of society.” This is an interesting remark, considering that we would normally

closely associate the mores (habits, manners and customs) of a society with

its conduct. We later discover that Tocqueville means “political society” –

this type of tyranny does manifest itself in the form of oppressiveness typical

of a despotic government. Instead the effect is seen in a certain debasement

of conduct in the citizenry.

Tocqueville writes of the inevitable struggle that a brilliant and exceptional

person would have to undergo before hoping to thrive in political office. It is

often nothing more than political suicide for a great thinker to make their

intelligent musings known to the public. Instead, such men, “who show that

virile candor, that manly independence of thought”, are forced to parrot

populist sentiments and keep their potentially pioneering views in the closet,

if they are to gain any power.

Bibliography

Howe, Daniel Walker. 2007. What Hath God Wrought: The Transformation of America, 1815–1848. New York: Oxford University Press.

Tocqueville, Alexis de, Harvey Claflin Mansfield, and Delba Winthrop. 2000. Democracy in America. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.