Essay 3: On The Point of Departure and Its Importance for the Future of the Anglo- Americans – Volume 1, Part 1, Chapter 2 of Democracy in America by Alexis de Tocqueville

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The essays in our study reference the following edition of Democracy In America: University of Chicago Press – 1st edition translated by Harvey Mansfield and Delba Winthrop. Today’s essay references pages  27 (start at chapter 2 heading) – 45 (stop at chapter 3 heading) – of this edition of Democracy in America.

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Alexis De Tocqueville was a French traveler who produced one of the most discerning observations about American democracy ever written. His discussion of the Puritan origins of American democracy is ample proof of his keen understanding. In De Tocqueville’s view, the Puritans made profound contributions to civil and religious liberty in what he terms, “the first age of the American republics.”

De Tocqueville acknowledges that the English tradition of rights in the Magna  Carta was important to the colonists’ attachment to rights, freedoms, and the rule of law that were a ““fertile seed of free institutions.” But, whatever their country of origin, they experienced common hardships settling North America that promoted equality instead of European feudal aristocracy. While De Tocqueville briefly discusses the South and argues that slavery bred a character of haughtiness and extremes of luxury and poverty:

Slavery as we shall explain later, dishonors work; it introduces idleness into society, and with it, ignorance and haughtiness, poverty and luxury. It enervates the forces of the intellect and puts human activity to sleep. The influence of slavery, combined with the English character, explains the mores and social state of the South.

He focuses on the Puritan democracy that shaped the American character and self rule.

De Tocqueville sees several defining characteristics of Puritan democracy that supported religious and civil liberty. The Pilgrims, he notes, sought to escape persecution and enjoy religious freedom to worship God as they pleased. Importantly, they settled as middle-class families who were the backbone of a society that valued family, order, and morality.

In addition, one of the first things the Pilgrims did in the New World was to agree to a political covenant establishing the rule of law. The Mayflower Compact created a civil body politic to create “just and equal laws” in support of the common good. The towns of New England formed democracies in which the people were sovereign and “name their magistrates…[and] give themselves laws.”

In their democratic town meetings, the sovereign people voted and participated in public affairs, enjoyed individual freedom, and consented to taxes. They served in local public offices that served the needs of the community. The citizens formed strong attachments to their community and were habituated in their rights, duties, and morals.

One of the main pillars of strong, democratic New England towns was the great emphasis upon education. Townspeople paid taxes to support public schools. De Tocqueville correctly observes that the Puritans were a people of the Book who valued education and encouraged literacy to read Scripture. “It is religion that leads to enlightenment,” he wrote.

De Tocqueville argues that New Englanders clearly demonstrated the close ties of “the spirit of religion and the spirit of freedom” that “lend each other a mutual support.” Importantly, he states that Puritanism provided a natural law framework for liberty under law rather than licentiousness.

While he does not directly address the rich tradition of Protestant resistance theory that was similar to and predating the Enlightenment ideas of John Locke, De Tocqueville believes that Puritan covenant theology supported an understanding of civil liberty that the Founders would have understood. The Puritans believed that  the Creator was the source of natural rights. A just government supported a rule of  law and a moral society that protected the rights granted by the divine.

De Tocqueville concludes the chapter with an exploration of national character. He states that the English tradition of liberty obviously influenced colonial political ideas and practice, but he offers a rather bold assertion that in understanding the  American founding, “one ought therefore to distinguish carefully what is of Puritan origin or of English origin.” The tenor of the chapter is that one should not  underestimate just how important the Puritans were to shaping American democracy.

Tony Williams is a Senior Fellow at the Bill of Rights Institute and is the  author of six books including Washington and Hamilton: The Alliance that  Forged America, with Stephen Knott. Williams is currently writing a book on the Declaration of Independence.

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