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Notes on Tocqueville
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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.