Read below to see what Alexis de Tocqueville saw as America’s most significant asset. It’s worth getting to the end!
In 1831, twenty six year old Alexis de Tocqueville was commissioned to travel to the United States of America. His official assignment was to evaluate the prison system, but Tocqueville was motivated to understand why the U.S.A. was so immediately prosperous.
Tocqueville stayed less than two years, but he returned with many notes and by 1835 he had published his incredible, Democracy in America. It came out in two volumes and the edition that I own is just under 1000 pages. But, what is pertinent for this post was an important paragraph near the end of volume 2 in which Tocqueville makes a statement with which few of us, recognizing God’s good hand in this provision, would disagree!
And now that I am nearing the end of this book, in which I have described so many considerable American accomplishments, if someone were to ask me what I think is primarily responsible for the singular prosperity and growing power of this people, I would answer that it is the superiority of their women. (Volume 2, Part 3, Chapter 12, final paragraph).
Chris:
I couldn’t find the link.
Isn’t that amazing! However, what about the women made them superior? We live in a different culture, so it certainly must be different qualities than what we observe today.
I agree Michael. Tocqueville said that Christian virtue was what made them different.