Democracy in America

<p>The French aristocrat's observations of American scoiety are as relevant today as they were when first written</p>

<p><span class="deck">The Russians claim they want to be more like us, but do they have any idea who we are?</span></p>

<p>Four hundred years ago this year, two momentous events happened in Britain’s fledgling colony in Virginia: the New World’s first democratic assembly convened, and an English privateer brought kidnapped Africans to sell as slaves. Such were the conflicted origins of modern America.</p>

<p>Jackson had deep flaws, but he left a lasting legacy, strengthening the executive office and striving to represent as many Americans as possible.</p>

<p>The first votes of the fledgling Virginia Assembly in 1619 marked the inception of the most important political development in American history — the rise of democracy.</p>

<p>How do we define the soul of the American nation, the principles that bind us together?</p>

<p>It’s an idea, more than a country or a nation.</p>