Democracy in America, Volume I: Volume I, Book 1, Chapters 4–6

by Alexis de Tocqueville
In 1831, French aristocrat Alexis de Tocqueville visited the United States. In this book, he records his impressions of the customs and culture of the young nation. Learn these words from the translation of Volume I by Henry Reeve.

Here are links to our lists for Volume I:
Book 1: Introductory Chapter–Chapter 3
Book 1: Chapters 4–6
Book 1: Chapters 7–10
Book 1: Chapters 11–14
Book 1: Chapter 15–Conclusion

Here is a link to the full text: Volume 1
15 words 9 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. ostensibly
    from appearances alone
    It could not ostensibly disclose itself in the laws of colonies which were still constrained to obey the mother-country: it was therefore obliged to spread secretly, and to gain ground in the provincial assemblies, and especially in the townships.
  2. agglomeration
    the act of collecting in a mass
    In short, there are twenty-four small sovereign nations, whose agglomeration constitutes the body of the Union.
  3. amalgamate
    bring or combine together or with something else
    Thus until the independence of townships is amalgamated with the manners of a people it is easily destroyed, and it is only after a long existence in the laws that it can be thus amalgamated.
  4. convocation
    the act of calling to a meeting
    The selectmen have alone the right of calling a town-meeting, but they may be requested to do so: if ten citizens are desirous of submitting a new project to the assent of the township, they may demand a general convocation of the inhabitants; the selectmen are obliged to comply, but they have only the right of presiding at the meeting.
  5. remunerate
    make payment to; compensate
    In general the American system is not to grant a fixed salary to its functionaries. Every service has its price, and they are remunerated in proportion to what they have done.
  6. sagacity
    the trait of having wisdom and good judgment
    The New Englander is attached to his township, not only because he was born in it, but because it constitutes a social body of which he is a member, and whose government claims and deserves the exercise of his sagacity.
  7. apprise
    inform somebody of something
    Grand jurors are bound by the law to apprise the court to which they belong of all the misdemeanors which may have been committed in their county.
  8. cupidity
    extreme greed for material wealth
    American legislators are more apt to give men credit for intelligence than for honesty, and they rely not a little on personal cupidity for the execution of the laws.
  9. tacit
    implied by or inferred from actions or statements
    But if a legal formality be required, which, however advantageous to the community, is of small importance to individuals, plaintiffs may be less easily found; and thus, by a tacit agreement, the laws may fall into disuse.
  10. quorum
    a gathering of the minimal number of members of a group
    In Massachusetts the business of the county is conducted by the Court of Sessions, which is composed of a quorum named by the Governor and his council; but the county has no representative assembly, and its expenditure is voted by the national legislature.
  11. coalesce
    fuse or cause to come together
    Upon some points these two kinds of centralization coalesce; but by classifying the objects which fall more particularly within the province of each of them, they may easily be distinguished.
  12. efficacious
    producing or capable of producing an intended result
    But it will always be easy for the central government, organized as it is in America, to introduce new and more efficacious modes of action, proportioned to its wants.
  13. waive
    do without or cease to hold or adhere to
    The authority which represents the State ought not, I think, to waive the right of inspecting the local administration, even when it does not interfere more actively.
  14. oscillation
    the process of swinging between states
    This same individual, who has so completely sacrificed his own free will, has no natural propensity to obedience; he cowers, it is true, before the pettiest officer; but he braves the law with the spirit of a conquered foe as soon as its superior force is removed: his oscillations between servitude and license are perpetual.
  15. vestige
    an indication that something has been present
    Under the ancient monarchy the King was the sole author of the laws, and below the power of the sovereign certain vestiges of provincial institutions, half destroyed, were still distinguishable.
Created on Thu Oct 29 12:13:37 EDT 2020 (updated Wed Jul 16 17:37:58 EDT 2025)

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