Nearing the end of his brilliant study of American democracy, in which De Tocqueville has shared an account of the many strengths of American democracy and its national character, De Tocqueville tells his readers that if they want to know which factor most accounts for America’s success, for its “singular prosperity and growing force of this people, I would answer that it is to the superiority of its women.” De Tocqueville’s acknowledgment of women as the source of America’s strength may come as a surprise. How could women – who back in the 1830s were not considered citizens, and were not allowed to hold jobs, speak in public meetings, inherit property, or go to college, be the decisive factor explaining the flourishing of America? 

De Tocqueville’s praise of American women needs to be considered within the context of his political science. De Tocqueville thought that America was such a successful democracy chiefly because of its unique ‘mores’ which he defines as “habits of the heart.” (275) Mores are the habits and practices that constitute American culture – how Americans think, feel, and interact not only with each other but with the rest of the world.  The mores De Tocqueville observed in the US – its religiosity, innovation, strong marriages, enterprise, high levels of civic engagement, and overall freedom-loving disposition – served to stabilize  America’s democratic polity.  But where did these mores come from? De Tocqueville stressed that in the United States they are cultivated primarily by women: “There have never been free societies without mores, and…it is woman who makes these mores. Therefore, all that influences the condition of women, their habits, and their opinions has great political interest in my eyes.” 

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