Tocqueville's Democracy in America and U.S. Government Actions
This paper draws on Alexis de Tocqueville's foundational work Democracy in America to critically examine the behavior of the U.S. government in the post-9/11 era. The paper argues that Tocqueville's warning — that democratic governments should not assume the responsibility of thinking for their citizens — is directly relevant to Bush administration policies targeting Muslim communities, manipulating media narratives, and building public support for military interventions in Afghanistan and Iraq. Using references to the First Amendment, polling data, and scholarly commentary, the paper questions whether American democracy still affords its citizens the freedom to think, judge, and decide for themselves.
- Introduction: Tocqueville and the Democratic Ideal: Tocqueville's framework applied to modern U.S. democracy
- Democracy, Freedom, and the First Amendment: First Amendment rights and religious discrimination post-9/11
- Media, Government, and the Shaping of Public Opinion: Government use of media to control public perception of Muslims
- Military Policy and the Limits of Democratic Thinking: Poll data and Bush's military campaign against Muslim states
- Conclusion: Are Americans Free to Think for Themselves?: Questioning whether citizens retain genuine democratic freedom
✍️ How to write this paper — guide, tools & examples ▾
What makes this paper effective
- It grounds a contemporary political critique in a classical philosophical framework, using Tocqueville as a lens to evaluate modern government behavior rather than simply citing current events in isolation.
- It incorporates diverse sources — scholarly analysis, polling data, journalistic commentary, and constitutional text — to build a multi-layered argument.
- The paper maintains a consistent central question throughout: whether American citizens are truly free to think for themselves under the current democratic structure.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper demonstrates the technique of applying a historical or philosophical framework to contemporary events. By introducing Tocqueville's thesis early and returning to it as a measuring stick, the author avoids pure opinion-writing and instead structures the argument as an evaluative comparison between democratic ideals and observed government practice.
Structure breakdown
The paper opens with an introduction to Tocqueville and his relevance, then moves through three substantive areas of concern — religious freedom and the First Amendment, media manipulation of public opinion, and misguided military policy — before closing with a series of rhetorical questions that bring the argument back to Tocqueville's core insight. Each section builds the case that democratic government has overstepped its proper role.
Introduction: Tocqueville and the Democratic Ideal
Tocqueville visited the United States in the early 1800s, and it was then that he wrote his masterpiece, Democracy in America. This book contains details of what the philosopher witnessed during his trip. His views and thoughts were collected to form a theory of politics and art in connection with democracy, presented throughout the work. Tocqueville is thus considered one of the most important authors to have written on the democratic system of the United States in philosophical terms. His book is similar in nature and style to the ancient philosophical works of Plato and Aristotle, even though the actual contents differ.
Not only did Tocqueville discuss the democratic form of government, he also presented his views on how democracy affects art and literature. It is in these passages that we encounter something truly enlightening — the idea that a political system profoundly affects various facets of a society. The type of regime that exists in a country influences not only its citizens' thinking, but also the literature written and poetry composed in that region. As Drescher (1968) observed:
"Of all the projections of social development written at the juncture of the industrial and democratic revolutions in Western Europe, or at least at the moment of greatest psychological impact, Alexis de Tocqueville's analysis remains one of the most enduring and remarkable. It takes its place beside the optimistic vision of a scientific-industrial society forecast by the Saint-Simonians and Positivists, and the specter of total social crisis and transformation prophesied by Marx. All three portraits of the future were derived from an emphasis on a salient characteristic of the present, perceived as its principal tendency." (p. 1)
Tocqueville offered a clear and precise analysis of American democracy and felt that while the aim of democratic states is to look after the well-being of their people, the government should not shoulder the responsibility of thinking for its people. This is a highly perceptive observation, one that needs to be studied closely with reference to our current democratic structure and the way our government has behaved in recent years.
Democracy, Freedom, and the First Amendment
America is one of the most influential democracies in the world and also staunchly supports democratic rule around the globe. But what exactly is meant by democracy? What are the responsibilities of a democratic government, and how are people supposed to live under democratic rule? What are their rights, and how much freedom should they expect? These are important questions that must be answered carefully in order to judge how much real freedom citizens actually possess. Are we allowed to think for ourselves, or does the government control our thinking, our lives, our budgets, and our view of the world?
Consider the long-standing conflict between church and state, and whether we actually enjoy the freedom promised by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. The First Amendment explicitly states:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
While the First Amendment clearly implies that religion will not be used as a basis for discrimination and that every citizen will be free to practice his or her religion, we must question the implementation of this law — especially in an era when religion has become a basis for discrimination and Muslims are routinely portrayed as terrorists. If a handful of followers of a certain religion resort to terrorism, does it mean that the religion itself is to blame? That is what the government and media have been teaching the public. The American public is repeatedly told that Islam and terrorism are synonymous, and media coverage shapes public opinion in this direction in order to gather support for military actions against Iraq and Afghanistan.
Conclusion: Are Americans Free to Think for Themselves?
We can thus conclude that while the government may claim to be taking all these actions to protect its citizens, the fact remains that it is not allowing the public to decide how they want to be protected. The government does not include citizens in major decisions because it has assumed it can control public opinion through misleading media coverage. The question is not merely whether the government is doing the right thing, but whether it is permitting citizens to think for themselves.
Are we allowed to decide for ourselves how we want to be protected? Are we permitted to determine what terrorism is and who is truly behind it? Does the government give us enough freedom to use our own judgment when evaluating Muslims or other religious groups? In light of the recent actions taken by the government, the answer to all of these questions appears to be no. Tocqueville's enduring warning — that a democracy must not become a government that thinks for its people — remains as urgent today as when he first wrote it. Our lives and minds are being subtly controlled, and that is precisely the condition Tocqueville warned against in his masterwork.
References
Akram, S. M. (2002). The aftermath of September 11, 2001: The targeting of Arabs and Muslims in America. Arab Studies Quarterly, 61+.
Drescher, S. (1968). Dilemmas of democracy: Tocqueville and modernization. University of Pittsburgh Press.
Gray, J. (2002). Happy to be handcuffed by the state: Liberals refuse to accept that the greatest threat to freedom comes not from an over-mighty government but one that is too weak to guarantee its citizens' safety. New Statesman, 131(4601), 20+.
Price, J. H. (2001, October 26). Poll shows public wants Saddam targeted; government opinion split. The Washington Times, p. 6.
Always verify citation format against your institution’s current style guide requirements.