Episode Details

Professor Yarbrough explores what Tocqueville discovered during his 1831–1832 visit to the United States, including his insights on democracy, community, religion, equality, individualism, and the unique strengths and weaknesses of American society. She explains why Democracy in America remains one of the most important works ever written about the American character and how Tocqueville’s observations still speak powerfully to the challenges faced by modern democracies.

Professor Yarbrough is the Professor of Government and Gary M. Pendy, Sr. Professor of Social Sciences at Bowdoin College. She is an award-winning scholar, National Endowment for the Humanities Fellow, expert on Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Tocqueville, and former member of the National Council of the NEH. Her scholarship has shaped national conversations on civic virtue, the Founding, and democratic society.

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