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Third Tuesday of each Month
Third Tuesday of each Month
10:00 a.m.
10:00 a.m.
288 Old Sudbury Rd, Sudbury, MA 01776
288 Old Sudbury Rd, Sudbury, MA 01776
Democracy in America Reading Club
Democracy in America Reading Club
Athina Education, in partnership with the Sudbury History Center & Museum, has organized a deep reading group to discuss excerpts from Alexis de Tocqueville’s Democracy in America, originally published in 1835. Tocqueville’s seminal text allows readers to reflect on American culture and ideals as seen through the eyes of an outsider.
We meet on the third Tuesday of each month at 10:00 a.m. in the 2nd floor conference room at the Sudbury History Center & Museum.
This summer, we will dive into Tocqueville's concept of the "tyranny of the majority" and discuss the following:*
July 15: "On the Omnipotence of the Majority in the United States and its Effects" (Volume One, Part Two, Chapter 7, pp. 235-237)
August 19: "Tyranny of the Majority" (Volume One, Part Two, Chapter 7, pp. 239-241)
*Participants with the time and desire to read further are encouraged to read all of Chapter 7.
The reading club is open to anyone from anywhere interested in participating. A monthly commitment is not required. Each month, we will discuss a small section of the book and discuss questions curated for that excerpt. To participate, please RSVP.
For those unable to obtain a copy of the book in time to read the text before the meeting, please email us at athina.ed@gmail.com, and we will provide the relevant excerpt.
NOTE: There are many translations of Tocqueville's book. For the reading club, we will use the translation by Harvey Mansfield and Delba Winthrop, published in 2002.
Resources
Resources
Tocqueville: Democracy in America (In Our Time BBC Podcast)
About Alexis de Tocqueville (Britannica)
Retracing the Steps of Alexis de Tocqueville's 1831 Journey (C-SPAN)
"Beginning in May 1997, the C-SPAN School Bus retraced the steps of Alexis de Tocqueville, author of Democracy in America, who traveled throughout the U.S. in 1831 with his friend, Gustave de Beaumont. Starting in Newport, RI, the bus explored the eastern half of the U.S. Over 9 months, the Bus made 55 stops along Tocqueville's route and discussed the same issues he raised -- issues such as religion and politics, the impact and power of the press and the changing role of government." (C-SPAN description)
"DREAM ON investigates the perilous state of the American Dream after decades of rising income inequality and declining economic mobility. In an epic road trip, political comedian John Fugelsang retraces the journey of Alexis de Tocqueville, whose study of our young country in 1831 came to define America as a place where anyone, of any background, could climb the ladder of economic opportunity." (PBS description)
Journey to America by Alexis de Tocqueville, translated by George Lawrence, edited by J. P. Mayer (1959)
Tocqueville’s travel diary chronicling his 1831–1832 visit to the United States. Tocqueville records observations of American society, politics, religion, and daily life. The diary reveals his evolving thoughts and provides valuable insight into the development of his ideas on democracy, equality, and liberty.
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