In Democracy in America, Alexis de Tocqueville records his observations on American society and culture of the 1830’s. Throughout his analysis of America, he draws many outlandish and interesting conclusions regarding life during this time period. For example, in Chapter 18, Tocqueville remarks that citizens in democratic societies are independent, which makes them weak and subsequently uninfluential in society. He goes on to say that in order to combat this, associations must be established to counter individualism and to circulate new thoughts and ideas. All in all, Tocqueville’s claim is certainly valid, but only up to a certain point, because there were a select few individuals that were able to make an influence on society without help
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The average citizen in America during this time period was certainly weak in the aspect that their voice didn’t hold much power. Therefore, according to Tocqueville, the only way to gain power was to join an association because there is power in numbers. A prime example of this is seen on a dueling poster as Tharp pronounces Smith as a “scoundrel, rascal, & coward,” (Henkin and McLennan, 283). Tharp calls for a duel in the first place because he wants to defend his personal honor, which he does by appealing to the public through the poster. In this case, no formal association is created, but the poster proves that there is much more validity in something if more people believe it. Moreover, the Astor Place Riot poster proves that for average people, associations were the only way to have an influence on society because the poster specifically calls for working men, which at the time corresponds to average men (Henkin and McLennan, 339). A mob is not an association in the aspect that it is disorganized, but a mob is effective at getting an opinion across, which is the goal of an association. Subconsciously, members of mobs realize that as an individual, they are voiceless, and the only way to be heard is through the …show more content…
For the likes of Sojourner Truth and Charles Finney, one voice was much louder than a thousand as both of these individuals drew support from a large crowd. However, Tocqueville’s claim is still valid because these two independent citizens motivated their followers to join organizations similar to those of the causes Truth and Finney were advocating for. Truth would circulate calling cards that included a photograph of herself, a saying, and her name to harness support for her many causes, such as women’s rights and abolition of slavery (Henkin and McLennan, 346). These cards were cheap to make, so Truth was able to circulate a large number, which exposed more people to issues Truth was advocating for. Additionally, these cards combated individualism in society by motivating membership in associations supporting the various causes Truth was voicing her opinion on. Moreover, Charles Finney was a prominent figure during the Second Great Awakening. A lithograph of the Broadway Tabernacle proves that Finney had a strong following and that people genuinely cared what he had to say because the lithograph illustrates a sold out theater where people were willing to stand the entire time just to hear what he had to say (Henkin and McLennan, 263). Obviously, Finney was an exceptional speaker, and people valued what he had to say; therefore, it is no wonder why he is credited with shifting over half
The average citizen in America during this time period was certainly weak in the aspect that their voice didn’t hold much power. Therefore, according to Tocqueville, the only way to gain power was to join an association because there is power in numbers. A prime example of this is seen on a dueling poster as Tharp pronounces Smith as a “scoundrel, rascal, & coward,” (Henkin and McLennan, 283). Tharp calls for a duel in the first place because he wants to defend his personal honor, which he does by appealing to the public through the poster. In this case, no formal association is created, but the poster proves that there is much more validity in something if more people believe it. Moreover, the Astor Place Riot poster proves that for average people, associations were the only way to have an influence on society because the poster specifically calls for working men, which at the time corresponds to average men (Henkin and McLennan, 339). A mob is not an association in the aspect that it is disorganized, but a mob is effective at getting an opinion across, which is the goal of an association. Subconsciously, members of mobs realize that as an individual, they are voiceless, and the only way to be heard is through the …show more content…
For the likes of Sojourner Truth and Charles Finney, one voice was much louder than a thousand as both of these individuals drew support from a large crowd. However, Tocqueville’s claim is still valid because these two independent citizens motivated their followers to join organizations similar to those of the causes Truth and Finney were advocating for. Truth would circulate calling cards that included a photograph of herself, a saying, and her name to harness support for her many causes, such as women’s rights and abolition of slavery (Henkin and McLennan, 346). These cards were cheap to make, so Truth was able to circulate a large number, which exposed more people to issues Truth was advocating for. Additionally, these cards combated individualism in society by motivating membership in associations supporting the various causes Truth was voicing her opinion on. Moreover, Charles Finney was a prominent figure during the Second Great Awakening. A lithograph of the Broadway Tabernacle proves that Finney had a strong following and that people genuinely cared what he had to say because the lithograph illustrates a sold out theater where people were willing to stand the entire time just to hear what he had to say (Henkin and McLennan, 263). Obviously, Finney was an exceptional speaker, and people valued what he had to say; therefore, it is no wonder why he is credited with shifting over half