Alexis de Tocqueville has been called the greatest observer of democracy and the greatest observer of America. In 1831, Tocqueville spent nine months in America, seeking to understand why democracy had succeeded in America when it had failed in his native France. But Democracy in America is more than a vivid, insightful and often humorous chronicle of American culture, one that remains highly relevant today. It is a journey through the possibilities and dangers of democracy. Can we enjoy political liberty without being dragged down to a lowest common denominator? Tocqueville shows us how.