BOOKNOTES Teacher Guide Harvey Mansfield, discusses his translation of Alexis de Toqueville's Democracy in America This program and lesson can be used to explore American history and concepts of democracy as well as Alexis de Tocqueville's Democracy in America.

Before Viewing Booknotes

Step One: Brainstorm
Write the word democracy on the board. Guide students through a whole-class discussion of commonly held ideas and assumptions about democracy throughout American history.

Encourage students to discuss a broad range of meanings of democracy. For example, does democracy mean equality of condition, equality of opportunity, or perhaps complete equality?

Democracy in America had been translated twice before. Lead students to speculate on why such a book has been translated again in the year 2000.

Step Two: Research
Students should gain some background about Alexis de Tocqueville's visit to America in 1831-32. Preparing students to view the video presents an opportunity to utilize C-SPAN's Tocqueville website to explore a variety of aspects about de Tocqueville's visit and his writings about American democracy.

Teachers should review the events and significance of the Age of Jackson and the various meanings and implications of "Jacksonian democracy" as historical background.

Step Three: Background Information
Once students have explored some background on de Tocqueville, introduce the Booknotes video by telling students that the interview is based on Harvey Mansfield's new interpretation of Alexis de Tocqueville's Democracy in America. Tell them that they will be searching for Professor Mansfield's ideas about democracy and his thoughts on why a new interpretation has been necessary. Focus students attention on the question: Why is a study of de Tocqueville important in the year 2000?

Students should note that a significant portion of the interview is based on an examination of Professor Mansfield himself as a philosopher and writer. Guide students to seek examples of why understanding the author might assist their understanding of his new interpretation of de Tocqueville.

Discussion

After students have taken notes on the graphic organizer, they will break into groups of four to discuss and write collective comments on Harvey Mansfield's assertion that Democracy in America is the best book ever written about democracy and the best book ever written about America. (Each student will contribute one or two of Harvey Mansfield's observations or beliefs about democracy from the video, which would support this statement.)

Activity
Have members of the class, in groups, read the sections of Democracy in America that the author considers the most interesting and relevant today--those which deal with presidents, Congress, women, African-Americans and Native American Indians. Have students participate in short role-playing exercises in front of the class in which they become de Tocqueville-type observers of American society and speak about the current state of "democracy in America."