American Historians and Tocqueville’s Democracy Lynn L, Marshall, Seymour Drescher The Journal of American History, Volume 55, Issue 3 (Dec., 1968), 512-532. ‘Your use of the ISTOR archive indicates your acceptance of ISTOR’s Terms and Conditions of Use, available at hup:srwwjstor orglaboutterms.html. ISTOR's Terms and Conditions of Use provides, in part, at unless you have obtained prior permission, you may not download an entire issue of 2 journal or multiple copies of articles, and you may use content in the ISTOR archive only for your personal, non-commercial use. Each copy of any part of a JSTOR transmission must contain the same copyright notice that appears on the screen or pfinted page of such transmission. The Jounal of American History is published by Organization of Ametican Historians. Please contact the publisher for further permissions regarding the use of this work. Publisher contact information may he obtained at tp: ifweew.jstor org/joumals/oah. heal. The Journal of American History ©1968 Organization of American Historians JSTOR and the JSTOR logo are trademarks of JSTOR, and are Registered in the U.S, Patent and Trademark Otic. For more information on ISTOR contact jstor-nfo@umnich edu, ©2001 JSTOR hup:thvww stor. orgy ‘Sun Oct 28 17:33:49 2001American Historians and Tocqueville's Democracy LN 1, Marsttant and Seymour DrescHer Ace bE Yocousvitie’s Democracy in America cccupies a eathee special position ia American historiography. As 2 classic commentary on Aeserica and American democracy, it has been ransacked for quotations which serve as corrabaration of scaffolding for additionel similar commene taties. Now that his notes on his American visit have been trznstated and published, at [east in pact, they are similarly ransacked, The prognostic chat- acter of Tocqueville's thought has tempted others to deal with it as one ‘would with the writings of Nostradamus, and usually with equally ambigo- os results. Tocqueville's work is almost cettain to appear in any bibliog: saphy of the Jacksonian period, often with aa annotative reference to its indispensabilty as a source for, ot interpretation of, the age of tsiumphent egalitarianism in Amesica. The Democracy is not a simple work and aot an easy one for historians to utilize. It does not easily sit into historians’ traditional categories of source materials, It is not, for mast purpases, « primary source, but aot, strictly speaking, a secondary source either. Tocqueville's notehooks offer no more securcly "primary" material thaa does the Devsocnacy; the notebooks, with thei queries, unexplained repetitions, and implausibly detailed cendi- tions of lengthy conversations, may very well give increased depth to the Me, Marshal is asistit profesor of history in the Univesity af Califoens, Sans Basse, sod Mr. Drescher ¢sastaiate puofesson of istry nthe Univer of Pitsbuagh "See {op example Basin C Rovwent, ed, The Met of Jaclnian Democracy (Bose ‘on, 196A); George E. Prot, ed. The Hepiy Repuslies 4 Render ix Tocquesiley America (New York, 1962); Marvin Meyers, The Jacksonien Parnuarions Pelee ao Belief (Stanford, 1957); Legsard D. White, The Jackionlan!s A Shady fs Advise Hinory 4£29-1867 (New Vouk, 1954); Glyndon G, Van Deusen, The Jorktonion bea ane 1a4h (New York, 1939): Gilman M, Orteands, The Rigie! of Mor ty deere 1646-1961 (Columie, Mo, 1960) “312.American Historians and Tocqueville 313 Democracy when used in conjunction with it, but they offer no greater purity as source material? On the basis of sometimes very limited alser- vations, Tocqueville unhesitatingly attempted to cut directly to the essen tials of the society which he studied. Workaday historians in search of ¢ simple “fact” might well be pardoned for having avoided Tocqueville. Tocqueville enjoys such vogue among current Amezican historians of the period that a proposal to anaiyze his usefulness as an historical source seems pethaps an entirely unnecessary exercise. But the present Tocqueville vogue dates only from the very recent past, and the exploitation of the Dentacvacy hhas hecn either no more than @ perfunciory gesture or strictly limited in scope, Central to Tocqueville's concern was the structuze and administration of alf sorts of social organizations (“associations” as be sometimes called them), in their informal as well as their formal operations, public as well as private. ‘The democratic individual in society, he recognized, was defined lacgely by the roles which he played in such organizations, This has made Tocqueville attractive to sociologists, but sociologists have lacked interest in te past, especially Tocqueville's Ametica of the carly nineteenth century." Historians, for their part, have neglected his central concera for sacial struc- ture in spite of their recent apparent enthusiasm for him, There is value in ‘examining in detail those parts ‘of Tocqueville's weitings which historians have used. Tocquevitle became # fashionable source after the publication in 1938 of George Wilson Pierson's Tocqueville and Beaumont in Amnesica* Hista- slans and othets had honored Tocqueville previously as an abstract, political theorist, like Aristotle or Montesquies, rather than as an analyst of a pastic. > Sacoh P, Magee, ed, George Lesvence, cant, lewis De Tocqueville: Jonnvey to Antarea (New: Haven, 1959), conteins the mow complete collection to date of Tacqve wills’ notes in America but it is sot exhaustive, aed more sgnifcenty, i omits the cotze Body af Tacqueville's notehoaks forthe second pect of Demacraey ie tevin ‘Two rdiable tansltions of Toccueville ate new available, and the choice between them is largely 2 mauec of tate. Henry Reeve, tans, cessed by Francis Bowen atid Philips Bradley, Demeceacy in -dmerce (2 vale, New Yatk, 1945): Jecab P. Blayer aod Mac Temes, eds, George Lawrence, trans," Democacy ia Americas (Newt York, 31966), Reeve's was the orginal and contetsperseyieansiatinn, and Aowen's revisions date eam 1862, Bradley's revisions of the Reeve Bowen text did nae semave tts ineieeaty cactucy Havoc. The caticly cew Lavtzace taoslaion offers some improvements in «6, but some madera fafelicties ia laqguage 2s well. Far some futher eomparison of these wsgslations, sce note 33 helow. “Seymoct Maia Lipset Po Birct New Natiou: The Unied State: in Historical and Conuative Porrpecive (New York, 1963), only undeseases iouiology's neglect af “Tocqeeille in Bit historical context. A more recat sody, Suiaey HL Acoman, Sater and Kinship ia the Highes Chul Seveice» Stoudardt of Selection in the Adminirations of John Adan, Thomas feffviae, and Andsew Juckron (Combsidge, 1963), despite ‘uethodologal shortcomings, suguss = promising change in sociological orientation “George Wilson Pierson, Toeqnville ond Beaumont in America (Siw York, 1958)