Book contents
- The Cambridge Companion to Democracy in America
- Series page
- The Cambridge Companion to Democracy in America
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Contributors
- Acknowledgments
- Chronology
- Abbreviations of Tocqueville’s Major Works
- Introduction
- Part I Sources and Contexts
- Part II Receptions and Applications
- Part III Genres and Themes
- 9 “Ideas for the Intellect and Emotions for the Heart”
- 10 Tocquevillean Association and the Market
- 11 Tocqueville on the Federal Constitution
- 12 Religion in Democracy in America
- 13 Tocqueville’s Puritans
- Part IV Democracy’s Enduring Challenges
- References
- Index
- Series page
11 - Tocqueville on the Federal Constitution
from Part III - Genres and Themes
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 23 March 2022
- The Cambridge Companion to Democracy in America
- Series page
- The Cambridge Companion to Democracy in America
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Contributors
- Acknowledgments
- Chronology
- Abbreviations of Tocqueville’s Major Works
- Introduction
- Part I Sources and Contexts
- Part II Receptions and Applications
- Part III Genres and Themes
- 9 “Ideas for the Intellect and Emotions for the Heart”
- 10 Tocquevillean Association and the Market
- 11 Tocqueville on the Federal Constitution
- 12 Religion in Democracy in America
- 13 Tocqueville’s Puritans
- Part IV Democracy’s Enduring Challenges
- References
- Index
- Series page
Summary
Alexis de Tocqueville’s classic Democracy in America is widely recognized as one of the most definitive accounts of American society and political culture. However, his thoughts on the US Constitution have often been overlooked. In this chapter, Jeremy D. Bailey argues that this neglect is unfortunate insofar as Tocqueville’s view of the US Constitution diverges in significant ways from the authoritative rendition of The Federalist. Rather than echoing classic explanations of the workings of the US Constitution by James Madison and Alexander Hamilton, Tocqueville’s understandings of federalism, Congress, US elections, the presidency, and the Supreme Court are more influenced by the constitutional interpretation of Thomas Jefferson. Despite his extensive discussion of other parts of the US Constitution, however, Tocqueville has little to say about the Bill of Rights. This apparent oversight may be explained by the fact that he sees a respect for rights as emerging from political culture rather than any specific institutional framework.
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- The Cambridge Companion to Democracy in America , pp. 306 - 326Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2022
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