Throughout the existence of humans there seems to never be an absence of some form of religion, but also government: a ruling power over the people. It can easily be concluded that these codifications went hand in hand. In his book Democracy in America (1835), Alexis De Tocqueville suggests that America’s equality and political freedom is an outcome of religion. He asserts that without the influences of religion, democracy could not properly function. Tocqueville’s argument for the importance of religion and democracy is what attributes to create a harmonious balance between political freedom and liberty. Without this equilibrium, democracy would ultimately struggle and be threatened with extreme religious bigotry, tyranny, and materialistic desires amongst Americans. This would be a result of the absence of morality and how it restricts absolute power. Tocqueville emphasizes the importance of religion and how it introduces institutional organization and how without religion, a sort of chaos would occur; worrying how a religious decline could take place and ways to accommodate such. Tocqueville’s Democracy in America expresses his obsession with how America is the golden standard for democracy and how religion is a key component to paving the way to political liberty and true equality.
In the nineteenth century the main religion in France was Catholicism, the french at the time believed that the church and its teachings had no place in democracy. On the other hand, Toqcueville thought that the teachings and moral character presented with religion benefited democracy believing that “The safeguard of morality is religion, and morality is the best security of law and the surest pledge of freedom”(62). Through his findings and observations while in America, Tocqueville became more and more curious as to the dynamic ability America had to sustain such a relation of religion and democracy. Being not only an aristocrat but also a devout Catholic intrigued him on such an idea. He would later conclude that religion was necessary in order to have a prosperous democracy.
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The first thing Tocqueville points out early in his essays were two ideas that help society understand freedom. The first excerpt from Democracy in America being “... America religion is the road to knowledge, and the observance of the divine laws leads man to civil freedom.” (60) and the second “Religion perceives that civil liberty affords a noble exercise to the faculties of man, and that the political world is a field prepared by the Creator for the efforts of the intelligence.” (62). With introducing these ideas early in his essay, Tocqueville is able to show the progressive ideas of community and how religion is a proponent and almost a natural quality of democracy.
Tocqueville warns of the dangers that behold in a decline to religion in America; how such a decline could put democracy in peril. The author initiates this thought with the idea of individualism and how individualism would give way to materialism. Tocqueville warns that since Americans, unlike aristocrats who are born into a social class, can easily be controlled with materialistic things. He asserts that due to religion causing morality and preventing Americans from becoming self centered they rather strive for the improvement and preservation of the collective. In sense he claims that religion prevents individualism which degenerates political freedom and equality. “Religion, then, is simply another form of hope; and it is no less natural to the human heart than hope itself. Men cannot abandon their religious faith without a kind of aberration of intellect, and a sort of violent distortion of their true natures (religion being a permanent attribute to humans)” (341). Toqcueville also hints that if a religious decline were to occur it would also threaten democracy in America. Where a society would have religious bigotry as a result of an emerging materialistic society. Religion in America is a means of fellowship, a bond that people carry, a sense of commonality. Since Tocqueville claims that there will be a decrease in religion and an increase of “individuals”, people will have negative views towards religion and spawn a society of hate and disruption. A division amongst the people, “separated the rich from the poor… the greater is their mutual hatred, and the more vehement the envy and the dread with which they resist each other’s claims to power” (20). Tocqueville suggests that bigotry is destined for religion and as an outcome of this, American equality will suffer due to the inability to cohabitate without hatred. But, Tocqueville also suggests that religion is an aspect of society and the government will succumb to tyranny due to the lack of morality. Tocqueville states that, “when the religion of a people is destroyed, doubt gets hold of the highest portions of the intellect… despairing of ever resolving by himself the hardest problems of the destiny of man… relax the springs of the will, and prepare a people for servitude... allow their freedom to be wrested from them; they frequently themselves surrender it” (505). These unfavorable consequences would result in tyranny of the masses. A decline or loss of religion would ultimately cause Americans to lose their freedom.
Alexis De Tocqueville believes America’s democratic example can provide lessons to be learned by France that would result in a multitude of benefits. He also believes that American’s not only provide democratic examples but religious cultural examples. A particular example that Tocqueville thinks France could adapt is the unique relationship that religion and democracy share; the influence of mores and the bond to freedom and liberty through American Culture.
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