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George Wilson Pierson

Tocqueville in America Paperback – October 19, 1998

by George Wilson Pierson (Author)

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In his magisterial Tocqueville in America, George Wilson Pierson reconstructs from diaries, letters, and newspaper accounts the Frenchman's nine-month tour and his evolving analysis of American society.

Alexis de Tocqueville's Democracy in America (1835) has become a touchstone for almost any discussion of the American polity. Taking as its topic the promise and shortcomings of the democratic form of government, Tocqueville's great work is at or near the root of such political truths as the litigiousness of American society, the danger of the "tyranny of the majority," the American belief in a small government that intrudes only minimally into the daily lives of the citizenry, and Americans' love of political debate. Democracy in America is the work of a 29-year-old nobleman who, with his friend Gustave de Beaumont, traveled the breadth of Jacksonian America to inquire into the future of French society as revolutionary upheaval gave way to a representative government similar to America's. In his magisterial Tocqueville in America, George Wilson Pierson reconstructs from diaries, letters, and newspaper accounts the two Frenchmen's nine-month tour and their evolving analysis of American society. We see Tocqueville near Detroit, noting the scattered settlement patterns of the frontier and the affinity of Americans for solitude; in Boston, witnessing the jury system at work; in Philadelphia, observing the suffocating moral regimen at the new Eastern State Prison (which still stands); and in New Orleans, disturbed by the racial caste system and the lassitude of the French-speaking population.

Print length

880 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Johns Hopkins University Press
Publication date

October 19, 1998
Dimensions

6 x 2.08 x 9 inches
ISBN-10

0801855063
ISBN-13

978-0801855061
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Editorial Reviews

Review

In this impressively researched biographical study, first published in 1938, George Wilson Pierson assembles an extraordinary amount of material about Tocqueville's nine-month tour: letters, newspaper accounts, memoirs. The result is a monumental companion, as illuminating about a classic work of history and sociology as that work is about democracy in America.
―Washington Post

In the opportunity which he offers for such a study of the evolution of one of the world's great books, Professor Pierson has made a historical contribution of altogether exceptional importance.
―New York Times Book Review

Book Description

In his magisterial Tocqueville in America, George Wilson Pierson reconstructs from diaries, letters, and newspaper accounts the Frenchman's nine-month tour and his evolving analysis of American society.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Johns Hopkins University Press; Reprint edition (October 19, 1998)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 880 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0801855063
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0801855061
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.87 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 2.08 x 9 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #956,989 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #837 in Customs & Traditions Social Sciences
- #1,413 in European Politics Books
- #1,543 in Travel Writing Reference

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Jeanne

Book is fantastic.

Reviewed in the United States on August 16, 2013

Verified Purchase

My friend loaned me this book and I wanted my own copy. Reading it led me onto many fascinating topics to research as well.

Reviewed in the United States on October 11, 2015

Verified Purchase

Beautiful classic I'm enjoying again.

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Not Bob

Documenting American Society

Reviewed in the United States on August 6, 2021

In 1831-2, Alexis de Tocqueville, a French aristocrat, and his associate Gustave de Beaumont visited the United States. The two were tasked by the French government to study the prison system in America. At the time, American prisons were considered some of the most progressive in the world. However, this was only one task Tocqueville had in mind. During their several months in the United States, they traveled around the country and met many people, from the average man, to eminent lawyers and politicians, Indians, and even President Andrew Jackson. During these travels, they made many observations about American society and government. Tocqueville would return home to France after his travels and would write a book, called Democracy in America, that became one of the most notable works on early America.

I read Democracy in America a few years ago and thoroughly enjoyed it. I found that Tocqueville in America was an excellent companion to Democracy in America. Originally written in the 1930s, Author George Wilson Pierson reconstructed Tocqueville and Beaumont's journeys and thoughts by examining their notes, letters, diaries, and, in some cases, newspaper accounts of them visiting certain cities. What we get, as readers, is a fantastic and detailed account of a journey through 1830s America and how society functioned at the time.

It is interesting reading this and learning about how Tocqueville's thoughts on America developed from this perspective of a Frenchman. He found much to be impressed by in America such as the preference for local self-government and the jury system in the courts. He felt that this gave men the opportunity to participate in government and develop a great respect for the rule of law. However, he also found faults such as how many Americans only seemed to live for the pursuit of wealth. He even wondered if universal manhood suffrage led too many lackluster men to attain public office. The two were also disturbed by the sight of legal slavery in some states which they felt led white men to laziness. This is only a small insight into the many thoughts the two had about the United States. In addition, he also tended to his official task to investigate American prisons which is also covered in this book.

I found this book to be a fascinating read and an excellent companion to Tocqueville's Democracy in America. If you like that book and American history, I would recommend this book as well.

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Ulfilas

The young American nation as seen through fresh eyes

Reviewed in the United States on May 14, 2011

Alexis de Tocqueville visited America in the 1830's as a representative of the French government for the purpose of studying the penal system. His observations came to include so much more. He met with many prominent Americans--some by design and others by chance. He met with President Andrew Jackson at the White House, Sam Houston on a boat, and conversed in French with prominent Marylander Charles Carroll.

He came away somewhat impressed with American democracy, but distressed by their insular world view and the smug certainty that they deserved the admiration of the world. This bucolic arrogance was nothing, however, when compared to the evils of slavery in the eyes of young de Tocqueville. This became particularly apparent to the Frenchman when comparing Ohio and Kentucky--with the former appearing to be the personification of industry and the latter of sloth. While Ohio bustled with commercial activity, Kentuckians seemed strangely obsessed with hunting while leaving as much useful toil as possible to indifferent slaves.

De Tocqueville was generally surprised by the small scale of American government, noting that President Jackson and the White House seemed more like the person and the abode of a relatively successful farmer than that of the chief executive of a great nation. He noted with particular interest the city of New Orleans, and could see that the local French population greatly benefited from a less intrusive government than the one he knew in France. He also visited Canada where he found the Catholic Church embraced with much more enthusiasm by the French speaking population than in France itself--a result the local priests ascribed to freedom of religion. He also commented on the American protestant clergy, noting that they were as much businessmen as they were clerics.

4 people found this helpful

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D. Sommers

Tocqueville's trip makes interesting reading

Reviewed in the United States on July 19, 2005

For those interested in a unique combination of story and history, Prof. Pierson's volume detailing the travels of Alexis de Tocqueville, and his companion Gustave de Beaumont are great reading. Imagining an America of the 1830's, lacking roads, and having unique social structures, is quite a fascinating contrast to today's fast-paced society.

Pierson's volume, written in the late 1930's, celebrates

and chronicles Tocqueville's legendary and historic trip of 100 years earlier, and its impact on American political thinking.

He saves his analysis for about the last 100 pages (of the 777 pages of primary text), but the details of the travels and encounters is fascinatingly detailed. An interesting must-read for the history buff.

5 people found this helpful

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Tocqueville in America Paperback – October 19, 1998

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