There are several important concepts to remember when reading "Democracy in America"
1. At its most basic, "Democracy in America" is a foreigners view of the culture and government of America.
This book was written by a visiting Frenchman, Alexis de Tocqueville. It contains his observations about America in approximately 1830.
2. This book was written by a guy from France for his fellow citizens of France.
This book was not written for Americans, nor even for the British. It was written by a Frenchman for the French.
3. This book can be considered a book on comparative governments.
For most of the book, Alexis de Tocqueville is comparing and contrasting the government of America to the government of France. I firmly believe that it is within all of the comparing and contrasting that we learn the most from this book. We learn both aspects from this book. That is, we learn not only about American government, but we also learn a great deal about French government.
4. This book can be considered a book on comparative cultures
As an extension of comparing governments, Alexis de Tocqueville also compares cultures. We learn a great deal about French culture and the British culture, as he explains how American culture differs from either of those. Reading the book in its entirety, we realize how different the American culture is from any culture in Europe.
5. France was undergoing revolutions at the time
We must remember that France had been going through a rough period. France had revolutions and counter-revolutions. There was the reign of terror, where many people were put into prison on dubious grounds. Alexis de Tocqueville's parents, and then Alexis himself, lived during these chaotic times. It would be natural for any citizen of France to think about the possible systems of government.
Thus, "Democracy in America" is a study of how the United States government works. The main goals of this book, as I see it, were observations and reporting. I believe that Alexis de Tocqueville hoped his observations and analysis would help France find its perfect form of government.
