Over the course of nine months in 1831 Alexis de Tocqueville, a French political thinker, accompanied by Gustave de Beaumont, travelled the United States under the pretext of studying the American prison system. Over the course of his travels, Tocqueville also studied American society, religion, politics, and economics, undertaking what would become one of the most comprehensive studies to that time of the practice of democracy in the United States. First published in 1835, Democracy in America continues to be considered one of the foundational works of political science. Democracy in America: Volumes I and II includes both volumes of de Tocqueville's influential work. Volume I explores the factors that contributed to the success of democracy in the United States, as well as the possible future of democracy in light of the unique religion and socio-economic factors that existed in the United States at that time. Volume II continues Tocqueville's exploration of the nature of democracy in the United States, including an analysis of American civil society.
