The attempt by the police to protect the journalists proved futile and the journalists were murdered.In the first case, the freedom of the press and the protection of the rights to life and liberty are undermined by the actions of an irate mob in a time of war. Have students consider each of these examples in turn and discuss with students what Tocqueville is teaching through each one, bringing out the following points:
#Tyranny of the majority free#
In his footnote, Tocqueville gives two examples of majority tyranny or despotism: the murder of antiwar journalists by a Baltimore mob during the War of 1812, and the intimidation of free blacks on Election Day in Philadelphia. They provide important details with which the reader may be unfamiliar.) (If necessary, explain that footnotes are used by authors to add clarifying information. Let students know that the author sometimes uses the word “despotism” interchangeably with “tyranny”.ĭistribute the worksheet and ask students to begin by reading the footnote. Then have them consider the title of the section, “The Tyranny of the Majority.”Īsk them to figure out what tyranny means. After speculating in class, tell them the passage they will be working on is a continuation and further development of this thought. The consequences of this state of affairs are harmful and dangerous for the future.Īsk students what they would expect the author of this passage to say next. So in the United States the majority has an immense power in fact and a power of opinion almost as great and once the majority has formed on a question, there is, so to speak, no obstacle that can, I will not say stop, but even slow its course and leave time for the majority to hear the cries of those whom it crushes as it goes. Lesson 1 aligns with .5 Guiding Questionsīegin by reading Tocqueville’s conclusion from the previous lesson:
#Tyranny of the majority full#
Teachers may link to the full unit with Guiding Questions, College and Career Readiness standards and Background. The three lessons should be taught in sequence, though each lesson can stand on its own. This lesson is one part of a three lesson unit on Democracy in America. Through a close reading of this section, students will see in detail how a complex primary source is structured, including how key sentences, paragraphs, a footnote, and larger portions of the text contribute to the whole. So in this section, as throughout the book, Tocqueville makes a number of rhetorical appeals designed to persuade the people of the need for moderation. Justice understood as the common good of the whole society should guide political deliberations. Constitution to check majority will, he suggests that even such good institutional arrangements will only remain strong if the people understand and agree with the reasons for checking and moderating their power.
While reiterating the importance of the framework first established by the framers of the U.S. With the help of these examples, students will be able to better understand the case Tocqueville is making. Tocqueville (in a footnote) gives two striking and even shocking examples of majority tyranny at work: the murder of antiwar journalists by a Baltimore mob, and the intimidation of free blacks on Election Day in Philadelphia.
#Tyranny of the majority how to#
Having suggested previously that the majority can crush a minority without even hearing its screams, he elaborates on the dangers of unchecked and unlimited power in democratic America and how to deal with it. In this lesson, students continue their examination of Tocqueville’s argument about the power of the majority and its consequences.
They are the cause and the end of all things everything arises from them and everything is absorbed by them." "The people rule the American political world as God rules the universe.
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