This video is almost 2 hrs long. Even if you watch only the first 25 minutes it will teach you much. It is only for the brave and serious student. You will not understand much of it but it is worth watching.
If you take the time to watch it please us a quote or idea from what you have learned! This is an expert source.
http://www.heritage.org/events/2009/04/soft-despotism-democracys-drift-what-de-tocqueville-teaches-us-today
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Monday, September 3, 2012
Tocqueville Essay Due 9-12-12
Mr. Waldvogel / Ms. Dudkiewicz/ Ms. Goldschmidt DUE DATE: 09/12/2012
Assignment # 2: Tocqueville Essay using quotes from class/HW and at least 1 outside article
Task: Write a 4-5 paragraph, well organized essay, in which you answer the following question:
Is the America described by
Tocqueville, the America we see today?
Requirements:
·
You must take a position and defend it. It is
not enough to say “yes” or “no”.
·
Your essay must consist of an introduction,
several body paragraphs, and a conclusion.
·
Your introduction must state your thesis.
·
Your body paragraphs must include at least
3 proofs/examples to support your thesis. (Think one proof
per one body paragraph)
·
Each proof or example must be supported with at
least 1 reference from your reading(s).
·
You should use all your in-class reading and
homework articles for this essay. (At least 1 outside source ie. a newspaper or magazine article that helps you defend your position)
·
Your essay should be typed, double spaced in
size 12 font with 1” margins. Check spelling/grammar use!!!
·
For help writing a well organized essay visit: http://www.dartmouth.edu/~writing/materials/student/ac_paper/write.shtml or http://www.infoplease.com/homework/writingskills2a.html#topic
Rubric: Please
refer to the below rubric for the grading scale.
5 (100)
|
4 (80)
|
3 (60)
|
2 (40)
|
1 (20)
|
*Contains an introduction, body, conclusion in correct order.
*Introduction contains provable thesis and interesting hook.
*Proves thesis by including supportive details. Ideas are fully developed in
body.
*Makes reference to class/homework readings.
*Is both descriptive and analytical (applies, compares/contrasts, analyzes,
evaluates)
*Writing conventions contain little or no mistakes.
|
*Introduction contains thesis and hook.
*Body has several proofs that are related to the thesis.
*Shows evidence of primary some source document use (i.e. quotes)
*Essay may be slightly off-topic at times.
*Reader shows some good understandings of important facts related to
topic.
*Some mistakes in spelling and grammar.
|
*Thesis is stated in first part of essay.
*Writing is a summary and makes some attempt to prove a thesis.
*Many ideas are weak and not fully developed.
*A few uses of primary sources.
*May lack focus; may contain digressions; some inaccuracies
*Mistakes in spelling and grammar.
|
*Thesis is weak or unclear.
*Writing is a summary and does not show a purpose.
*May be missing paragraphs introduction or conclusion.
*Ideas are weak and not always related to the topic.
*Several inaccuracies.
*Shows little evidence of primary source document use.
*Many mistakes in spelling and grammar that make it hard to read.
|
*No Thesis
*Lacks parts of essay like body or conclusion.
*No paragraphs.
*Few proofs and no use of sources.
*Many mistakes in spelling and grammar that make it hard to read.
|
Tocqueville Quotes (Class and HW)
Alexis De
Tocqueville
“A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It
can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves largesse
from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for
the candidates promising the most benefits from the public treasury with the
result that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy, always
followed by a dictatorship. The average age of the world's greatest
civilizations has been 200 years.”
1- Why
can’t democracy survive? What
choices made by the people will end democracy?
_________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
2 –
What connections do you see to America and its citizens today?
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
“When the taste for
physical gratifications among them has grown more rapidly than their education
. . . the time will come when men are carried away and lose all self-restraint
. . . . It is not necessary to do violence to such a people in order to strip
them of the rights they enjoy; they themselves willingly loosen their hold. . .
. they neglect their chief business which is to remain their own masters.”
3 –
The author claims it will not take violence to strip us of our rights? When and why will we allow it? _________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
4 –
What connections do you see to America and its citizens today?
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
“America is great because she is
good. If America ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.”
5 - Do you agree?
Explain! _________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
“There are two things which a democratic people will always find
very difficult - to begin a war and to end it.”
6 - Do you agree?
Explain!
_________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
“Society will develop a new kind of servitude which covers the
surface of society with a network of complicated rules, through which the most
original minds and the most energetic characters cannot penetrate. It does not
tyrannize but it compresses, enervates, extinguishes, and stupefies a people,
till each nation is reduced to nothing better than a flock of timid and
industrious animals, of which the government is the shepherd.”
7 –
What can make Americans into stupid sheep? _________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
8 –
What connections do you see to America and its citizens today?
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
“What good does it do me, after all, if an ever-watchful
authority keeps an eye out to ensure that my pleasures will be tranquil and
races ahead of me to ward off all danger, sparing me the need even to think
about such things, if that authority, even as it removes the smallest thorns
from my path, is also absolute master of my liberty and my life; if it monopolizes
vitality and existence to such a degree that when it languishes, everything
around it must also languish; when it sleeps, everything must also sleep; and
when it dies, everything must also perish?
9 – Is
it good to have a government that takes care of you? (cradle to grave)
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
10 –
What connections do you see to America and its citizens today?
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
GLOSSARY
Largess
– money
Fiscal
– economic
Gratification
– enjoyment, pleasure
Cease
– stop
Enervate
- drain energy
|
Industrious
– hard working
Tranquil
– peaceful, safe
Ward
– stop, push away
Vitality
– life
Languish
– fail, suffer
Perish
- die
|
Name:
__________________________________________ Class:
_____________
Aim:
Do Now:
Read the quote several times and answer the questions completely.
“The Americans dwell in a
land of wonders in which everything is in a continual state of motion and every
movement seems a step forward. The
concept of newness is, therefore, intimately bound up in their minds with that
of improvement. Nowhere do they
see any limit placed by nature upon man’s efforts; in their eyes, whatever does
not exist has simply not yet been tried…
For Americans, their whole lives are spent as if in a game of chance, in
time of revolution or a day of battle.“
1 – Summarize
the main points of the above passage in at
least 2 sentences.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
2 – Is the author referring to every American when he says,
“nowhere do they see any limit place by nature upon man’s efforts”? Explain your answer.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
3 – What does the author think about the American dream? Does he support it? Based on what is written above, does he
think it is real? Explain your
answer!
__________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Name: ____________________________________ Class:
______________
HW#1
Read
summary below and annotate. Answer
the questions completely on a separate sheet of paper. Look up any words you do not
understand. Be prepared to use and
discuss your answers. No
excuses! Quality always counts!
Main Ideas of Alexis de
Tocqueville’s Democracy in America
The primary focus of Democracy
in America was to provide an analysis of representative democracy in the
United States. Alexis de Tocqueville examined America with a particular focus
upon the strengths and weaknesses of our system based on what he viewed through
his travels. A few interesting observations that he made:
• He stated that Americans largely respect the
laws because they are essentially derived from citizens.
• He stated that the major strength of our law
system is the ability that the judicial system has to correct itself.
• He stated that many Americans share the common
value that hard work will bring success and greater wealth.
• He stated that the separation of the church and
the state (and societal acceptance of it) was also a strength of the American
system.
• He did not believe that blacks and Indians
would ever be viewed on equal terms as whites, and he correctly predicted that
the slavery conflict would later become a significant problem for the United
States
• As a criticism, he stated that while democracy
is powerful because it involves the active participation of the people, some
citizens are not informed enough to make the best decisions about electing
proper leadership.
• Also as a criticism, he stated that because the
majority always win in a democratic system, individuals among the minority have
to suffer the rule of the majority, even though they do not agree. He called this
the “tyranny of the majority”. He
stated this could also lead to mass conformity to the majority opinion not out
of agreement, but for personal security.
Questions
1 – In your own words explain 2 ways American
democracy is a good thing.
2 – In your own words explain 2 possible problems
with our democracy.
3 – Explain how Tocqueville’s words apply to
American and its citizens today.
Name: ____________________________________ Class:
______________
After
reading and annotating the chapter answer the questions
completely. Use the
glossary to define any words you do not understand. Be prepared to use and discuss your answers. No excuses! Quality always counts!
Analysis Questions: Chapter 13 - Democracy in America
1. What differences does de Tocqueville make
between the heads of power in aristocratic governments and statesmen in
democracies?
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
2. In paragraph three, De Tocqueville says “The
result is that the rulers of aristocracies are less tempted by corruption and
have a very modest liking for money, whereas the opposite occurs in democracies.”
Explain, in your own words what the argument of this passage is.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
3. What does de Tocqueville say about the ability
of a person in a democracy to buy his way into office, in comparison with a
noble in an aristocracy? Do
you agree? Expain
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
4. De
Tocqueville wrote, “dishonest passions reside in every rank of society…” State
whether you agree or disagree with the statement and explain your
answer. ______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
5. What does the author say about how ordinary
citizens in a democracy view the rise of an average person to a place of power?
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
6. In a democracy, citizens are ideally free from
abuse and corruption in the government because power is derived from the
people. Yet, de Tocqueville makes several criticisms as to why this is not the
case. Based on prior knowledge (and what you learned today), what are three
different arguments you can make against our democratic system.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
7. In the conclusion of the passage, de
Tocqueville states that the basic reason for an individual’s success in getting
elected is due to their willingness to engage in immoral practices, such as
lying, cheating, making false promises, etc. Do you, as a group, agree or
disagree with this perspective? Explain your reasoning!
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Glossary
|
Aristocracy – nobility, upper class
Endeavor – try, work at
Vices – bad
habits
Prejudicial – harmful, hurtful, damaging
Pernicious – destructive, evil
Mutually – together
Inveigh – fight or protest against
Facilitate – help, make easy
Auction – sale
Covetous – strongly desire
Confer – give, grant
Render – cause to be
Nugatory – not valuable or important
Reproach – criticism, blame
Probity – honesty, goodness
Assailed – attacked
Dread –
fear
Base practices – evil actions
Afford – give to
Virtue – good, positive
qualities
Ascend – climb up to
Depravity – evil, corruption
Turpitude – wickedness, evil
|
Pillage – rob, take, destroy
Mean – low,
poor quality
Obscure – not well known
Attribute – give credit
Tacitly – to know without saying
Conjecture – guess, speculate
Impute – give credit
Odious – hateful, obnoxious
Utility – convenience
Hitherto
– to this point
Conscription – forced into military
Impressment – kidnapping
Implicitly – totally, completely
Prompt – quick, immediate
Tenacity – stubborn, determination
Oligarchy – a small group that
controls a country
Republican – ruled by elected representatives
Subsist – manage to survive
Commencement – start
Betoken – a sign
of, indicate
Zeal – excitement,
enthusiasm
Prolonged - extended
|
Democracy in America Chapter 13 Reading
Chapter
XIII: Government Of The Democracy In America--Part III
Corruption
And Vices Of The Rulers In A Democracy, And Consequent
Effects
Upon Public Morality
In aristocracies rulers sometimes endeavor to
corrupt the people--In democracies rulers frequently show themselves to
be corrupt--In the former their vices are directly prejudicial to
the morality of the people--In the latter their indirect influence is
still more pernicious.
A distinction must be made, when the aristocratic
and the democratic principles mutually inveigh against each other,
as tending to facilitate corruption. In aristocratic governments the
individuals who are placed at the head of affairs are rich men, who are solely
desirous of power. In democracies
statesmen are poor, and they have their fortunes to make. The consequence is that in aristocratic
States the rulers are rarely accessible to corruption, and have very little
craving for money; whilst the reverse is the case in democratic nations.
But in aristocracies, as those who are desirous
of arriving at the head of affairs are possessed of considerable wealth, and as
the number of persons by whose assistance they may rise is comparatively small,
the government is, if I may use the expression, put up to a sort of auction. In democracies, on the contrary, those
who are covetous of power are very seldom wealthy, and the number of citizens
who confer that power is extremely great. Perhaps in democracies the number of
men who might be bought is by no means smaller, but buyers are rarely to be met
with; and, besides, it would be necessary to buy so many persons at once that the
attempt is rendered nugatory.
Many of the men who have been in the
administration in France during the last forty years have been accused of making
their fortunes at the expense of the State or of its allies; a
reproach which was rarely addressed to the public characters of the ancient
monarchy. But in France the practice of bribing electors is almost
unknown, whilst it is notoriously and publicly carried on in England. In the
United States I never heard a man accused of spending his wealth in corrupting the
populace; but I have often heard the probity of public officers questioned;
still more frequently have I heard their success attributed to low intrigues
and immoral practices.
If, then, the men who conduct the government of
an aristocracy sometimes endeavor to corrupt the people, the heads of a
democracy are themselves corrupt. In the former case the morality of the people
is directly assailed; in the latter an indirect influence is exercised upon the
people which is still more to be dreaded.
As the rulers of democratic nations are almost
always exposed to
the suspicion of dishonorable conduct, they in
some measure lend the authority of the Government to the base practices
of which they are accused. They thus afford an example which must
prove discouraging to the struggles of virtuous independence, and
must foster the secret calculations of a vicious ambition. If it be
asserted that evil passions are displayed in all ranks of society, that they
ascend the throne by hereditary right, and that despicable characters are to be
met with at the head of aristocratic nations as well as in the sphere of a democracy,
this objection has but little weight in my estimation. The corruption of men
who have casually risen to power has a coarse and vulgar infection in it which
renders it contagious to the multitude. On the contrary, there is a kind of
aristocratic refinement and an air of grandeur in the depravity of the great,
which frequently prevent it from spreading abroad.
The people can never penetrate into the
perplexing labyrinth of court intrigue, and it will always have difficulty in
detecting the turpitude which lurks under elegant manners, refined tastes, and
graceful language. But to pillage the public purse, and to vend the favors of
the State, are arts which the meanest villain may comprehend, and hope to practice
in his turn.
In reality it is far less prejudicial to witness
the immorality of the great than to witness that immorality which leads
to greatness. In a democracy private citizens see a man of their own
rank in life, who rises from that obscure position, and who becomes
possessed of riches and of power in a few years; the spectacle
excites their surprise and their envy, and they are led to inquire how the
person who was yesterday their equal is to-day their ruler. To attribute his
rise to his talents or his virtues is unpleasant; for it is tacitly to
acknowledge that they are themselves less virtuous and less talented than he
was. They are therefore led (and not unfrequently their conjecture is a correct
one) to impute his success mainly to some one of his defects; and an odious mixture
is thus formed of the ideas of turpitude and power, unworthiness and success,
utility and dishonor.
Efforts Of Which A Democracy Is Capable
The Union has only had one struggle hitherto for
its
existence--Enthusiasm at the commencement of the
war--Indifference towards its close--Difficulty of establishing
military conscription or impressment of seamen in America--Why a
democratic people is less capable of sustained effort than another.
I here warn the reader that I speak of a
government which implicitly follows the real desires of a people, and not of
a government which simply commands in its name. Nothing is so
irresistible as a tyrannical power commanding in the name of the people,
because, whilst it exercises that moral influence which belongs to the decision
of the majority, it acts at the same time with the promptitude and the tenacity
of a single
man.
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