Looking at Tocqueville’s blind spots
By The Wilson Quarterly
Alexis de Tocqueville literally wrote the book on the Unites States. Democracy in America (1835–1840), informed by his wide-ranging nine-month visit to the country, is generally recognized as one of the classic studies of American political culture.
But Tocqueville was only human, and Democracy in America is still just a book. For all its insight, writes the late political scientist James Q. Wilson, the French nobleman’s magnum opus “left a bit to be desired.”
Tocqueville believed that Americans would come to value equality over liberty…MORE
THE SOURCE: “Tocqueville and America” by James Q. Wilson. The Claremont Review of Books, Spring 2012.
Looking at Tocqueville’s blind spots http://j.mp/1ySCqqt