Reading Guide

1. Democracy in America Chapter 4-5—Alexis de Tocqueville

Questions for Democracy in America Chapters 4-5

Focus on the following sentence as a compact summary of Tocqueville's argument:
"The Americans have used liberty to combat the individualism born of equality, and they have won."
These sixteen words contain three strong arguments.  Consider each in turn.

1. "Individualism born of equality." What is individualism, according to Tocqueville? How is it born of equality?
2. "The Americans have used liberty to combat." How does liberty combat individualism? Is there a paradox here?
3. "And they have won." Won what? Is he right? What has our art of association in fact won us? Has it lost us anything?

2. Gospel of Wealth—Andrew Carnegie

• What do society’s laws do to wealth?
• What are the three modes surplus wealth can be disposed?
• Why is passing wealth generationally misguided?
• How does Carnegie feel about the trend of increasing taxes?  Why?
• How can the consolidation of wealth benefit the many?
• What is the duty of the man of wealth?

3. Hull House Papers— Jane Addams
Subjective Necessity for Social Settlements Chapter 6 or Twenty Years at Hull House Terms:

1. Toynbee Hall
2. Two Miseries
3. Submerged Tenth
4. Christian humanitarianism
5. Positivist-ism

Questions:

1. How are parents inconsistent with their daughters’ purpose in life?
2. What does years of education and worldly travail give to the youth?
3. Why did the settlement movement start in England?
4. Why must Christians put their work into action?
5. What does the Settlement movement accomplish through Christendom and removing from sectarian differences?
6. What are the three trends addressed with the opening of the Hull-House?
7. What must the Settlement Movement do to avoid inflexibility and adaptation to society’s changing needs?
8. And are pledged to devote…?