Internet Exercises

Exercise 1

In Chapter 14 of his book Democracy in America, Alexis de Tocqueville examines the advantages that American society derives from a democratic government.

Go to http://xroads.virginia.edu/~HYPER/DETOC/1_ch14.htm. This link provides a readable version of Chapter 14. After reading the chapter, answer the following questions:

1. As Collins and Makowsky note in Chapter 3 of your text, de Tocqueville studied law and took up a career as a lawyer (actually, as a salaried official of the royal court system). What did de Tocqueville have to say about respect for the law in the United States?



2. According to Collins and Makowsky, “beneath the surface he [de Tocqueville] saw the Americans as like his beloved Romans—people who believed in laws and used them to rule themselves….” (p. 50). How, exactly, did he envision the benefits of a democracy?



3. Collins and Makowsky observe that “the basic premise of de Tocqueville’s system is the inevitable advance of equality.” How did de Tocqueville view democracy as an instrument of equality?

Exercise 2

In Book III, Chapter 12 of Democracy in America, de Tocqueville evaluates how Americans understand the equality of the sexes.

Go to http://xroads.virginia.edu/~HYPER/DETOC/ch3_12.htm. This link provides a readable version of Chapter 12. After reading the chapter, answer the following questions:

1. Considering the era in which he lived, de Tocqueville’s views of “gender” are ahead of their time. Make a list of the observations made by de Tocqueville that mirror contemporary attitudes toward gender equality.



2. How did de Tocqueville envision democracy as an essential platform for the equality between men and women?



3. Do you think de Tocqueville genuinely believed that women should be able to participate in the political process? Why or why not?