Democracy In America (1835-1840) has had the singular honor of being up to this very day the work to which political commentators and pundits of every stripe invariably refer when they seek to draw large conclusions about the society of the United States. In fact, so uncanny is Tocqueville's insight, so accurate are his predictions, that it often seems, as one reads his masterpiece, that this young French aristocrat is not merely describing the American identity, but actually helping create it.
