American Institutions and Their Influence

"American Institutions and Their Influence" by Alexis de Tocqueville is a detailed look at the political and social systems of 1800s America. The book examines how democracy impacts everything from government organizations to the way people think and act. Tocqueville studies America to understand the roots of democracy and its effects; seeing it as clearer to understand than older European countries. He points out the equality of the first people who came to America and how their reasons for being there made them successful and gave them certain characteristics. By looking at these things, Tocqueville hopes to show the ideas that built American democracy and think about what democracy means for the world, especially since Europe was going through similar changes.