Alexis De Tocqueville

Alexis De Tocqueville

The Education of Women in America
Tonry Hughes
December 5, 2000
Politics 1311
In America women are given the opportunity to have an education. Not just an average education, but one that helps them throughout their life by giving them the knowledge to protect themselves. In chapter 9 of Democracy in America Tocqueville believes that the education of American women is superior to that of French women. He believes that our form of education is necessary to protect women from the dangers that the world holds, and to help out our country politically by giving women the tools to raise a moral family. By raising families with good morals all of America will also be moral. Aside from the issue of protection and politics Tocqueville also addresses the issues of individual freedom, religion and marriage. All of these issues make it necessary to educate women in a democratic manner.
Education is important when in comes to politics. Tocqueville believes that the education of American women helps out politically far more than the education of French women. This political importance is because women are the ones who raise the family. They are in charge of shaping the next generation. The education of women gives them the tools to raise a good family, and in turn they are raising good citizens who will help out in politics and other worldly issues that the next generation may come across. The education of women is in the best interest of our nation.
In America women are given the tools to look after themselves. Tocqueville notices that by giving women these tools we are setting ourselves apart from several other countries. Women in America are able to think for themselves, speak for themselves and act on their own. Because of they have these tools they are able to see the dangers that society can hold. When these dangers are made obvious to them they are able to protect themselves. Women with an education are able to correctly judge other people and face fear with confidence. Women who know what evil is can easily avoid it, and women who know what morals are can easily stick to them. Tocqueville states that,
So the vices and dangers of society are soon plain to her, and seeing them clearly, she judges them with out illusion and faces them without fear, for she is full of confidence in her own powers, and it seems that this feeling is shared by all around her (pg. 590).
He realizes that women must be mentally strong in order to be good people. He also notices that by educating all women a standard is being set for all women to follow. This helps all of society as a whole.
Tocqueville then points out that the education of American women is far superior to the education of French women. He notices that Americans are consistent with education unlike the French. In France they have an aristocrat form of education. This form of education gives the women a “timid, with drawn, almost cloistered education” (pg. 591). An aristocratic education leaves women unguided and unable to protect themselves because they are not aware of what there dangers are. Not giving French women a full education hurts the political system because the women are raising families without any ad or guidance. Leaving women unguided means that they could be installing the wrong morals or virtues into their children. When the children go out into the world on their own, they too will be unaware of any dangers just as their mothers were. When these will only be hurting society and in turn they will be hurting the politics of the country. In order for a country to be strong citizens must produce generation after generation of well-educated men and women so that these men and women can continue helping the politics of the country.
In America we realize that all citizens must have individual freedom. Without this freedom people will be unhappy. However, Tocqueville also notices that it is easier to teach women, as well as men, how to control this freedom then to let them do as they please. Without knowledge of how to control individual freedom, there would be complete chaos in our society. Tocqueville uses chastity as an example. A woman’s chastity would constantly be in danger if she were not taught how to protect it. Education gives women the strength and determination to protect themselves. Americans are different because citizens do not protect girls by not giving them knowledge of the bad things. We very willingly give women knowledge of everything. This way we can use our own common sense to protect ourselves.
Tocqueville refers to chastity once again to explain the fact that Americans do not rely solely on religion to teach morals to the community. Not relying on religion allows us to be more consistent because morals are taught to the people the same way that everything else is. This consistency also helps with the controlling of individual freedom. We only rely on religion when all other options are exhausted. Tocqueville believes that consistency helps to shape our community’s morals without infringing on our individual freedom. Citizens are taught the difference between right and wrong; however, we still have the option of choosing to follow either one.
Tocqueville also notices that democratic education is not perfect. It can smother a woman’s imagination, and make her cold and bitter. This smothering makes her less of a companion to men. With a democratic education the community as a whole is much more peaceful, but the equality of the citizens private lives are at jeopardy. This one fault is not as dangerous as having a community without education, so it is worth taking the chance to help the community at large.
It is necessary to have a community with a democratic education in order to, “protect women against the dangers with which the institutions and mores of democracy surround them”(pg. 592). Education of women also helps to insure the quality of the generations to come. By giving women the tools to raise a good family with are helping to insure strength of our future leaders. The education of women will help with the politics in our country and the citizens of our country will benefit by living in a moral community. By giving women knowledge of what dangers our community can hold we are giving them the tools to protect themselves, and be safe. Also, by educating women we are giving them the knowledge of how to have individual freedom while still being in control. All of these tools are also important for men to have; however, Tocqueville focuses on women because their education was so different than that of the women in other countries at the time Democracy in America was written. He proves that the education of women will not just benefit the women, but it will benefit everyone who lives in the community.

American History

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