Alexis de Tocqueville arrived in New York in May 1831. America was still getting started. But this young French aristocrat was the first foreigner to foresee what it would become: not just a country, but an idea—one powerful enough to shape the future of the world.
Tocqueville's nine-month road trip took him to the frontier, to the South and, eventually, to the White House. It spawned his masterpiece: “Democracy in America”. Many people still consider this book the single most insightful piece of writing on America. John Prideaux, The Economist’s US editor, is one of them.
Now, 250 years after the birth of the republic, people inside and outside America are starting to question the vitality of its democracy. How much of what so inspired Tocqueville about America remains?
In this series John Prideaux sets off to find out. He retraces the route Tocqueville took and talks to Americans around the country from all walks of life—just like he did.
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