"In Connecticut the electoral body
consisted, from its origin, of the whole number of citizens....In the laws of
Connecticut, as well as in all those of New England, we find the germ and
gradual development of that township independence which is the life and
mainspring of American liberty at the present day."
What was the "life and mainspring of American liberty"?
In the next sentence Tocqueville explains:
"The political
existence of the majority of the nations of Europe commenced in the superior
ranks of society and was gradually and imperfectly communicated to the different
members of the social body.
"In America, on the contrary, it may be said that
the township was organized before the county, the county before the state, the
state before the union."
Which sounds more like the United States today:
- Politics starts in the upper ranks of society
and is gradually and imperfectly communicated to the rest of the people?
or
- Politics begins with every member of society
actively involved at the local levels, overseeing policy and governance and
electing representatives for the higher levels of government?
America
has made many gains in social justice by ending slavery and fighting racism and
women's inequality, and these are a testament to the power of freedom to
improve the world.
We will only continue to spread freedom and improve society
at this pace if we find a way to resurrect nearly daily active participation by
the citizenry.
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Social Leader Daily by Oliver DeMille
