OK, I knew that we had to deal with this question since we are, afterall, reading de Tocqueville who is a political junkie and observer extraordinaire.
He came to America on the "pretext" of observing the American penal system but what he was really after was to see what a great republic looks like. He felt that America was special because it is complete democracy, our practice of democracy displayed the "image" of it. This is the basis of "American Exceptionalism" - the belief that America is different, special, unique.
Given that he was already convinced that our country was a special place before he came, what did he actually learn by coming here rather than just examining America from afar?
He came to America on the "pretext" of observing the American penal system but what he was really after was to see what a great republic looks like. He felt that America was special because it is complete democracy, our practice of democracy displayed the "image" of it. This is the basis of "American Exceptionalism" - the belief that America is different, special, unique.
Given that he was already convinced that our country was a special place before he came, what did he actually learn by coming here rather than just examining America from afar?