DEARBORN, Michigan – In the mid-1800s, a French political scientist named Alexis de Tocqueville came to the United States to appraise the meaning and functioning of democracy.
Alexis de Tocqueville
This extraordinary book, written as a result of his visit, contains his comments and criticisms – many of which are still vital in today’s world – and is a must-read for anyone interested in American politics.
Check out or reserve your copy today in person, by phone (313-943-2330), or online (www.dearbornlibrary.org).
Even if you don’t have time to read the book, stop by anyway and there’s a good chance you’ll still get something out of the discussion.
In Democracy in America, published in 1835, Tocqueville wrote of the New World and its burgeoning democratic order. Observing from the perspective of a detached social scientist, Tocqueville wrote of his travels through America in the early 19th century when the market revolution, Western expansion, and Jacksonian democracy were radically transforming the fabric of American life.
Tocqueville warned that “modern democracy may be adept at inventing new forms of tyranny”, because radical equality could lead to the materialism of an expanding bourgeoisie and to the selfishness of individualism.
Here are the other titles Classics Revisited will be discussing in the 2012-2013 season:
- October 17: The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli
- November 21: Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton
- December 19: Night by Eli Wiesel
- January 16: A Room of One’s Own by Virginia Woolf
- February 20: A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry
- March 20: A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway
- April 17: My Life and Work – Henry Ford’s autobiography
- May 15: The Arabian Nights – anonymous, Burton translation
If you would like to be on the Classics Revisited emailing list, please send an email to [email protected].
This program is sponsored by Friends of the Library-Dearborn (FOLD).