Origin of the Anglo-Americans
The lecture deals with European colonization in general, whereas this chapter of Tocqueville focuses specifically on the English, but he does provide some clues as to why the imperial designs of the European nations might not be fulfilled the way they wish.
- Tocqueville begins this chapter with a theory of how to explain national character-why nations are the way they are. What is his theory? What is peculiar about the US in respect to this theory?
- Why was it impossible for Europeans to impose a social class system on the American colonies?
- What were the differences between the Southern colonies and the New England colonies? Tocqueville obviously prefers New England-what was the contribution of that region to American development?
- Near the end Tocqueville discusses "the spirit of Religion and the spirit of Liberty." What fundamental American principles is he dealing with here?