De la democratie en amerique is a classic french text by alexis de tocqueville its title translates as on democracy in america but english translations are usually simply entitled democracy in america in the book tocqueville examines the democratic revolution that he believed had been occurring over the previous several hundred years in 1831 alexis de tocqueville and gustave de beaumont were sent by the french government to study the american prison system in his later . The declaration of independence asserts that the consent of the governed is the only foundation of legitimate government but our nations history has been marked by fierce struggles to expand the franchise to every adult citizen and its past is littered with dire warnings from privileged elites that democracy will degenerate into mob rule. The american democracy is a civil composite which is the combined result of roman celtic and teutonic ideas it is a practical affair its evolution hails from a series of political adjustments which for the rest of the world is a very new phenomena and hence completely attributed to americas credit however along with the leisure of the twenty first century what has also made its way . Alexis de tocquevilles democracy in america is a work of history and political philosophy published in two volumes the first in 1835 and the second in 1840 tocqueville embarked on his own political career in france but is best known for his contributions to history and political philosophy. Harvey mansfield and delba winthrops new translation of democracy in america is only the third since the original two volume work was published in 1835 and 1840 it is a spectacular achievement capturing the elegance subtlety and profundity of tocquevilles original mansfield and winthrop have restored the nuances of his language with the expressed goal to convey tocquevilles thought as he held it rather than to restate it in comparable terms of today the result is a translation