Democracy in America — Volume 1Tocqueville, Alexis de
History
Democracy in America — Volume 1
Tocqueville, Alexis de
Democracy -- United States; United States -- Politics and government; United States -- Social conditions
Mr. Hamilton expresses the same opinion in the “Federalist,” No. 51.
“It is of great importance in a republic not only to guard the society
against the oppression of its rulers, but to guard one part of the
society against the injustice of the other part. Justice is the end of
government. It is the end of civil society. It ever has been, and ever
will be, pursued until it be obtained, or until liberty be lost in the
pursuit. In a society, under the forms of which the stronger faction
can readily unite and oppress the weaker, anarchy may as truly be said
to reign as in a state of nature, where the weaker individual is not
secured against the violence of the stronger: and as in the latter
state even the stronger individuals are prompted by the uncertainty of
their condition to submit to a government which may protect the weak as
well as themselves, so in the former state will the more powerful
factions be gradually induced by a like motive to wish for a government
which will protect all parties, the weaker as well as the more
powerful. It can be little doubted that, if the State of Rhode Island
was separated from the Confederacy and left to itself, the insecurity
of right under the popular form of government within such narrow limits
would be displayed by such reiterated oppressions of the factious
majorities, that some power altogether independent of the people would
soon be called for by the voice of the very factions whose misrule had
proved the necessity of it.”
Jefferson has also thus expressed himself in a letter to Madison: *g
“The executive power in our Government is not the only, perhaps not
even the principal, object of my solicitude. The tyranny of the
Legislature is really the danger most to be feared, and will continue
to be so for many years to come. The tyranny of the executive power
will come in its turn, but at a more distant period.” I am glad to cite
the opinion of Jefferson upon this subject rather than that of another,
because I consider him to be the most powerful advocate democracy has
ever sent forth.
g
[ March 15, 1789.]
Chapter XVI: Causes Mitigating Tyranny In The United States—Part I
Chapter Summary
The national majority does not pretend to conduct all business—Is
obliged to employ the town and county magistrates to execute its
supreme decisions.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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