DE TOCQUEVILLE

By: Vanessa Bonilla

VIEW OF AMERICA
Alexis de Tocqueville was a citizen of France, sent
to observe American prisons by the French
government in the 1830s. While in America, he
began a journal, commenting on the
exceptionalism of America and its citizens.
He focused on five characteristics: Liberty, Equality,
Individualism, Popular Sovereignty and Laissez
Faire.
Our class assignment was to select an era of
American History, after the Civil War, and look at it
through de Tocquevilles eyes.
ERA SELECTED:
1920s

1920 1929

I chose this era because I find this time in history
fascinating due to the extravagant living and also
the fact that women were starting to be recognized
as actual people and not just property of men.
LIBERTY
According to de Tocqueville, liberty is protection
against tyrannical government and strength in
individuality.
During the 1920s there was quite a bit of freedom
and even more individuality, especially in women. In
this era, women were granted the right to vote by
the Nineteenth Amendment, were prominent in the
workforce, and even changed their physical
appearance by cutting their hair short, smoking,
and wearing more provocative clothing.
LIBERTY
EQUALITY
According to de Tocqueville, egalitarianism is a
society of equals.
In the 1920s equality was starting to take form
between men and women. Now, women are able to
vote, express themselves freely, work amongst men
in the workforce, and have a new sense of
confidence because they are now starting to be
viewed as equals.
EQUALITY
INDIVIDUALISM
De Tocqueville claims that individualism is when
Americans are free to flourish without hereditary
extinction and believed they could rise in society.
In the 1920s, individualism meant lashing out
against a restrictive society, an assertive form of
self-expression, and a glorying in the absence of
self-control.
INDIVIDUALISM
POPULAR SOVEREIGNTY
De Tocqueville claims that popular sovereignty is
the participation of the common people in political
life-voting.
During this era, women were granted the right to
vote and on Election Day in 1920, millions of
American women exercised their right to vote for
the first time.

POPULAR SOVEREIGNTY
LAISSEZ FAIRE
In de Tocquevilles studies, he explains that laissez-
faire is a hands off approach in the economy.
In the 1920s the government banned the sell and
consumption of alcohol by passing the Eighteenth
Amendment. This did not work, it only made the sell
and consumption of alcohol more prominent
therefore it was repealed when the Twenty-first
Amendment was passed.
LAISSEZ FAIRE
DE TOCQUEVILLE QUOTE:
In politics,
shared hatred
is almost
always the
basis of
friendships.
My interpretation of this
quote is that since
hatred is such a strong
emotion, finding
someone else who
shares that same
emotion creates a
foundation for a new
friendship and this is
very prominent in
politics.
MY THOUGHTS
Alexis de Tocqueville came to America to inspect
the prisons but instead ended up questioning
himself on the greatness of America and how it
came to be. He then evaluated the five
characteristics mentioned in the previous slides. I
believe that if he were alive today, de Tocqueville
would be pleased with todays society. Citizens are
active in political life, there is equality in this
country, people are allowed to express themselves
freely, the government is hands on but does not
have complete control, and there is liberty for all.