Democracy in America Abridged with an Introduction by Michael Kammen
by Tocqueville, Alexis de; Kammen, Michael; Rawlings, Elizabeth TrapnellFormat: Paperback
Pub. Date: 2008-08-08
Publisher(s): Bedford/St. Martin's
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Summary
This new edition ofDemocracy in Americamakes Tocqueville's classic nineteenth-century study of American politics, society, and culture available finally! in a brief and accessible version. Designed for instructors who are eager to teach the work but reluctant to assign all 700 plus pages, Kammen's careful abridgment features the most well-known chapters that by scholarly consensus are most representative of Tocqueville's thinking on a wide variety of issues. A comprehensive introduction provides historical and intellectual background, traces the author's journey in America, helps students unpack the meaning behind key Tocquevillian concepts like "individualism," "equality," and "tyranny of the majority," and discusses the work's reception and legacy. Newly translated, this edition offers instructors a convenient and affordable option for exploring this essential work with their students. Useful pedagogic features include a chronology, questions for consideration, a selected bibliography, illustrations, and an index.
Author Biography
Michael Kammen (Ph.D., Harvard University) is the Newton C. Farr Professor of American History and Culture at Cornell University, where he has taught since 1965. He is an elected member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and served in 1995-96 as President of the Organization of American Historians. His books include People of Paradox: An Inquiry Concerning the Origins of American Civilization (1972), awarded the Pulitzer Prize for History; A Machine That Would Go of Itself: The Constitution in American Culture (1986), awarded the Francis Parkman Prize and the Henry Adams Prize; Mystic Chords of Memory: The Transformation of Tradition in American Culture (1991); and Visual Shock: A History of Art Controversies in American Culture (2006).
Table of Contents
Foreword Preface A Note about the Text and Translation List of Illustrations PART ONE Introduction: Tocqueville and His Tour de Force Tocqueville’s Life and Character The Journey in America Content and Key Themes of the Work How Democracy in America Was Received The Relevance and Legacy of Democracy in America PART TWO Democracy in America Volume I Author’s Introduction Part I
- America’s Founding and Its Importance for the Future of Anglo-Americans
- Anglo-American Social Conditions
- The Principle of the sovereignty of the People in America
- The Need to Examine What Happens in Individual States Before Discussing the Government of the Whole
Part II
- Why It Is Accurate To Say That In The United States, The People Govern
- The Real Advantages Derived By American Society From Democratic Government
- The Omnipotence of the Majority in the United States and Its Consequences
- What tempers the Tyranny of the Majority
- The Principal Causes Tending to Preserve a Democratic Republic in the United States
- A Few Remarks on Present and Probable Future Conditions of the Three Races Living Within the United States
Volume II
Preface
Part I: The Influence of Democracy Upon the Intellectual Development of the United States
- The Principal Source of Beliefs Among Democratic Countries
- The Spirit in which Americans Cultivate the Arts
- Literary Production
- Certain Characteristics of Historians in Democratic Centuries
Part II: Influence of Democracy on the Opinions of Americans
- Individualism in Democratic Society
- Individualism is Greater Following a Democratic Revolution Than In Any Other Period
- Americans Minimize Individualism with Free Institutions
- The Role of Voluntary Associations in America
- The Relationship Between Associations and Newspapers
- Connections Between Voluntary and Political Associations
- Americans Overcome Individualism Through the Doctrine of Self-Interest Well Understood
- The Taste for Material Comfort in America
- Why Americans Appear So Restless Amidst Their Prosperity
- How Americans’ Love of Material Comfort Combines with the Love of Liberty and a Concern for Public Affairs
- How Aristocracy May Result from Industry
Part III: Influence of Democracy on Customs as Such
- Education of Girls in the United States
- The Young Woman as Wife
- How Social Equality Helps Maintain Moral Behavior in America
- What Americans Mean by Equality of Men and Women
- American Society Appears Both Restless and Monotonous
- Why Great Revolutions Will Become Rare
Part IV: The Influence Exercised by Democratic Ideas and Attitudes on Politics
- Equality Naturally Leads to A Desire For Free Institutions
- The Type of Despotism Democratic Nations Have to Fear
- An Overview of the Subject
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