User:YL0726/sandbox

Summary of my intending edits

• Adding the table of contents of Democracy in America before the volume section, and write the title of each volume/part/chapter.
• Adding some writing background of Democracy in America
• Adding summary of Tocqueville's thoughts on freedom, independent and democracy in the Main themes section.
• Regarding the missing citations in the original article, I have no way to find the books or documents referenced by the original author, but I will try my best to fix some of them.

Table of Contents

• The Author's Preface

Volume I

• Chapter I: The Exterior Form of North America
• Chapter II: Origin of the Anglo-Americans, and the Importance of this Origin in Relation to their Future Condition.
• Chapter III: Social Condition of the Anglo-Americans.
• Chapter IV: The Principle of the Sovereignty of the People of North America.
• Chapter V: The Necessity of Examining the Condition of the States Before that of the Union at Large.
• Chapter VI: Judicial Power in the United States and its Influence on Political Society.
• Chapter VII: Political Jurisdiction in The United States.
• Chapter VIII: The Federal Constitution.
• Chapter IX: How it can be Strictly Said That the People Govern in The United States.
• Chapter X: Parties in the United States
• Chapter XI: Liberty of the Press in The United States.
• Chapter XII: Political Associations in The United States.
• Chapter XIII: Government of the Democracy in The United States.
• Chapter XIV: What are the Advantages which American Society Derives from a Democratic Government?
• Chapter XV: Unlimited Power of the Majority in The United States, and its Consequences.
• Chapter XVI: Causes which Mitigate the Tyranny of the Majority in The United States.
• Chapter XVII: Principal Causes which Serve to Maintain the Democratic Republic in The United States.
• Chapter XVIII: The Present and Probably Future Condition of the Three Races that Inhabit the Territory of The United States.

Volume II

• Introduction to the Second Volume.

FIRST BOOK: Influence of Democracy on the Action of Intellect in The United States.

• Chapter I: Philosophical Method of The Americans.
• Chapter II: Of the Principal Source of Belief Among Democratic Nations.
• Chapter III: Why the Americans Show More General Aptitude and Taste for General Ideas that their Forefathers, The English.
• Chapter IV: Why the Americans have never been so Eager as the French for General Ideas in Political Affairs.
• Chapter V: How Religion in The United States Avails itself of Democratic Tendencies.
• Chapter VI: The Progress of Roman Catholicism in The United States,
• Chapter VII: What Causes Democratic Nations to Incline toward Pantheism,
• Chapter VIII: How Equality Suggests to the Americans the Indefinite Perfectibility of Man.
• Chapter IX: The Example of the Americans does not Prove that a Democratic People can have no Aptitude and no Taste for Science, Literature, or Art.
• Chapter X: Why the Americans are more Addicted to Practical rather than Theoretical Science.
• Chapter XI: In What Spirit the Americans Cultivate the Arts.
• Chapter XII: Why the Americans Raise Some Insignificant Monuments and Others that are Very Grand.
• Chapter XIII: Literary Characteristics of Democratic Times.
• Chapter XIV: The Trade of Literature.
• Chapter XV: The Study of Greek and Latin Literature is Peculiarly Useful in The United States.
• Chapter XVI: How American Democracy has Modified the English Language.
• Chapter XVII: Of Some Sources of Poetry Among Democratic Nations.
• Chapter XVIII: Why American Writers and Orators Use an Inflated Style.
• Chapter XIX: Some Observations of the Drama among Democratic Nations.
• Chapter XX: Some Characteristics of Historians in Democratic Times.
• Chapter XXI: On Parliamentary Eloquence in The United States.

SECOND BOOK: Influence of Democracy on the Feelings of Americans.

• Chapter I: Why Democratic Nations Show a more Ardent and Enduring Love of Equality than of Liberty.
• Chapter II: Of Individualism in Democratic Countries.
• Chapter III: Individualism Strong at the Close of a Democratic Revolution than at Other Periods.
• Chapter IV: That the Americans Combat the Effects of Individualism with Free Institutions.
• Chapter V: Of the Uses which the Americans Make of Public Associations.
• Chapter VI: Of the Relation of Public Associations and the Newspapers.
• Chapter VII: Relation of Civil to Political Associations.
• Chapter VIII: How the Americans Combat Individualism by the Principle of Self-Interest Rightly Understood.
• Chapter IX: That the Americans Apply the Principle of Self-interest Rightly Understood to Religions Matters.
• Chapter X: Of the Taste for Physical Well-being in America.
• Chapter XI: Peculiar Effects of the Love of Physical Gratification in Democratic Times.
• Chapter XII: Why Some Americans Manifest a Sort of Spiritual Fanaticism.
• Chapter XIII: Why the Americans are so Restless in the Midst of their Prosperity.
• Chapter XIV: How the Taste for Physical Gratification's is United in America to Love of Freedom and Attention to Public Affairs.
• Chapter XV: How Religious Belief Sometimes Turns Americans to Immaterial Pleasures.
• Chapter XVI: How Excessive Care for Worldly Welfare may Impair that Welfare.
• Chapter XVII: How, When Conditions are Equal and Skepticism is Rife, it is Important to Direct Human Actions to Distant Objects.
• Chapter XVIII: Why Among the Americans All Honest Callings are Considered Honorable.
• Chapter XIX: What Causes Almost All Americans to Follow an Industrial Calling.
• Chapter XX: How an Aristocracy may be Created by Manufactures.

THIRD BOOK: Influence of Democracy on Manners Properly so Called.

• Chapter I: How Customs are Softened as Social Conditions become more Equal.
• Chapter II: How Democracy Renders the Social Intercourse of the Americans Free and Easy.
• Chapter III: Why the Americans Show so Little Sensitiveness in their own Country and are so Sensitive in Europe.
• Chapter IV: Consequences of the Preceding Three Chapters.
• Chapter V: How Democracy Affects the Relations of Masters and Servants.
• Chapter VI: How Democratic Institutions and Manners Tend to Raise Rents and Shorten the Terms of Leases.
• Chapter VII: Influence of Democracy on Wages.
• Chapter VIII: Influence of Democracy on the Family.
• Chapter IX: Education of Young Women in The United States.
• Chapter X: The Young Woman in the Character of the Wife.
• Chapter XI: How Equality of Condition Contributes in America to Good Morals.
• Chapter XII: How Americans Understand the Equality of the Sexes.
• Chapter XIII: How the Principle of Equality Naturally Divides the Americans into a Multitude of Small Circles.
• Chapter XIV: Some Reflections on American Manners.
• Chapter XV: Of the Gravity of the Americans and why it does not Prevent them from often doing Inconsiderate Things.
• Chapter XVI: Why the National Vanity of the Americans is more Restless and Captious than that of the English. 1
• Chapter XVII: How the Aspect of Society in The United States is at once Excited and Monotonous.
• Chapter XVIII: Of Honor in The United States and in Democratic Communities.
• Chapter XIX: Why so many Ambitious Men and so Little Lofty Ambition are to be Found in The United States.
• Chapter XX: The Trade of Place-hunting in Certain Democratic Societies.
• Chapter XXI: Why Great Revolutions Will become More Rare.
• Chapter XXII: Why Democratic Nations Naturally Desire Peace, and Democratic Armies, War.
• Chapter XXIII: Which is the Most Warlike and Revolutionary Class in Democratic Armies .
• Chapter XXIV: Causes Which Render Democratic Armies Weaker than Other Armies at the Outset of a Campaign, and More Formidable in Protracted Warfare.
• Chapter XXV: Of Discipline in Democratic Armies.
• Chapter XXVI: Some Considerations on War in Democratic Communities.

FOURTH BOOK: Influence of Democratic Ideas and Feelings on Political Society.

• Chapter I: Influence of Democratic Ideas and Feelings on Political Society.
• Chapter II: That the Opinions of Democratic Nations about Government are Naturally Favorable to the Concentration of Power.
• Chapter III: That the Sentiments of Democratic Nations Accord with their Opinions in Leading them to Concentrate Political Power.
• Chapter IV: Of Certain Peculiar and Accidental Causes which either Lead a People to Complete the Centralization of Government or Divert them from it.
• Chapter V: That Among the European Nations of our Time the Sovereign Power is Increasing, Although the Sovereigns are Less Stable.
• Chapter VI: What sort of Despotism Democratic Nations have to Fear.
• Chapter VII: Continuation of the Preceding Chapters.
• Chapter VIII: General Survey of the Subject.

Writing Background

Democracy in America was written in France after the Great Revolution. At that time, the kingship had been overthrown, but the society was in turmoil, and the old and new political forces were intertwined. Although the demands of democracy have been temporarily suppressed by the old forces, Tocqueville, who has a strong political acumen, has realized that democracy is an unstoppable historical trend. Sooner or later, the old hierarchical system will enter the "legacy pile" of history. The new era of equal status for all is coming, and democracy will inevitably and universally arrive all over the world.

For the writing of Democracy in America, Tocqueville seldom relied on the written materials of the past and the same time, but through interviews with people from all walks of life in the United States, direct inspections of society, and personal experience of the American social system, human rights, Religious beliefs, economics and other aspects.

Freedom, independent and democracy

In the book Democracy in America, the meaning of "democracy" is somewhat confusing, and its basic core meaning is the trend toward equality in all aspects of society. The benefits of democracy are obvious: "Democratic laws generally tend to promote the welfare of the greatest possible number; for they emanate from the majority of the citizens, who are subject to error, but who cannot have an interest opposed to their own advantage. The laws of an aristocracy tend, on the contrary, to concentrate wealth and power in the hands of the minority; because an aristocracy, by its very nature, constitutes a minority. It may therefore be asserted, as a general proposition, that the purpose of a democracy in its legislation is more useful to humanity than that of an aristocracy." Tocqueville said Equality does not refer to the equality of property, but the equality of rights, that is, "equality of identity". In Tocqueville's theory, equality is a fundamental matter, and all individual things are produced by him. "It (equality) gives public opinion a certain direction, the law has a certain policy, the ruler has a new motto, and the ruled has a peculiar habit." Not only that, the impact of equality of status "is far greater than political measures and laws. And his role in the government is no less than that in civil society. He is not only creating speech, stimulating emotion, and changing customs, but also changing everything that is not produced by him."

Tocqueville believes that equality will bring about demands for freedom. "The principle of equality, which makes men independent of each other, gives them a habit and a taste for following in their private actions no other guide than their own will. This complete independence, which they constantly enjoy in regard to their equals and in the intercourse of private life, tends to make them look upon all authority with a jealous eye and speedily suggests to them the notion and the love of political freedom."

The complete independence that people enjoy forever in the interactions between people equal to themselves and as a personal life habit makes people look dissatisfied with all authority, and quickly arouses thoughts about political freedom and a love for political freedom. . "Freedom and equality have their harmonious side. "Because everyone will be completely equal, so people will also be completely free; on the other hand, because everyone will be completely free, everyone will also be completely equal. "However, equality and freedom do not develop in a proportional relationship. Especially in a democratic society, "When freedom is only a kind of thought and hobby of people, equality has penetrated into people's habits, controlled people's sentiments, and made life Every small action of the People’s Republic of China has a tendency to pursue equality.” Therefore, although people in democratic countries love freedom by nature, their passion for equality is even more difficult to stop. “They want to enjoy equality in freedom, when they cannot. , And also willing to enjoy equality in slavery. "It is precisely because of the admiration of freedom that Tocqueville inherited Constant's idea that the democratic system may be transformed into a tyranny of despotism, and described it as "tyranny of the majority." In his opinion, the dangers that democracy can produce are on the one hand It is the tendency of anarchism that has been widely talked about. On the other hand, it is the tyranny of the majority, that is, the strangulation of individual freedom by absolute authority. Compared with the former, the latter is more severe. So Tocqueville believes that tyranny is The democratic era is what makes people the worst and fearful. He even stated his point of view: "If there is no freedom in the United States, it will be because the majority have unlimited power, forcing the minority to desperate and forcing them Caused by resorting to force. ". "How to effectively guarantee freedom in a democratic society is the core issue of Tocqueville's American democratic outlook. Combined with the actual investigation of American society, he proposed to implement a series of measures such as federalism, separation of powers, local autonomy, freedom of association, and freedom of the press in a democratic society to ensure freedom and prevent majority tyranny. First, let's look at the relationship between the federal government and state governments. Power is divided between the two sets of governments. Anything the federal government does must find a basis in certain provisions of the federal constitution, and the state government has powers other than the powers prohibited by the state constitution and the federal constitution. All power. Tocqueville highly praised such dual powers. Since the powers of the state government are not granted by the federal government, he cannot withdraw these powers from the state government. The federal government is supreme in its own scope, but this scope is strictly and clearly defined. The states are also supreme within their scope. In the legal sense, they are all independent autonomous bodies. The Tenth Amendment to the Constitution of 1791 stipulated that the so-called power granted to the United States or prohibited by the constitution should be reserved by the states or the people. Tocqueville believed that such a power structure could guarantee the freedom of local autonomy.