Red River Heritage Symposium Held at Washington

The Red River Heritage Symposium was held this past weekend at Washington.  Itstarted with the introduction of Dr. John D. Wilsey who explained who Alexis de Toqueville was including his history and the background of France at the time. Also discussed were the conditions in the United States at the time. In the 1830s there was a lot of turmoil in France with the French Revolution having happened and a lot of other turmoil and changes of government since then.

Toqueville came from aristocracy in France. He came to the U.S. to escape that and study our country as a contrast. The U.S. was going through prison reform at the time led by the Quakers with the penitentiary system. This was the stated reason for the trip. The United States at the time was very active with associations, civic engagement, and reforms.  This was in contrast to France and England where the elite brought about the reforms.

Toqueville argued that pooled individual power could keep despotism in check. Associations were informed by one’s beliefs. The 1830s was a time of strong beliefs, many associations, a lot of movement where fortunes were made and lost. Toqueville distrusted equality as he thought it made people lazy and selfish.

Toqueville felt that divine Providence was guiding the U.S. The lecturer didn’t encourage sentimental wishing to be back in that time period but rather studying his writing in order to learn important lessons.