Having only fought a war a few years before, a new war began to unfold within the young American country. A war between the culture of the old and the innovation of the new, having ideas that had never been thought of before. This war was a war about a nation’s structure, but more importantly its identity.
As these groundbreaking ideas took root in the hearts of our founding fathers, an unforeseen outcome permeated its way into the American society, initiating the movement towards a cohesive nation. While debating about the country’s government and asking for votes, it was the practice of democracy that shaped the cohesive American society. Here, individuals were willing to collaborate or face reproval, all in the pursuit of solving society’s problems. While traveling through America, Tocqueville bore witness to this democratic state, a phenomenon supported by the moral foundations of Jonathan Haidt and the reinforcement of social norms in society.
Opening his paper, Tocqueville writes about how men should act under despotism and notes that every man must adhere to the passions of the others, which hinders the unity needed for democracy to function. This, however, changes when he talks about the American society. “The Americans have combatted the individualism.” (Tocqueville 204) After this opening of his eyes, Tocqueville shows that citizens, when put in charge of smaller problems, will create a cohesive bond with one another and perform actions for the greater good. Tocqueville shows that people show greater teamwork when a problem is prevalent in a democratic society.
Viewing this from a different lens, Jonathan Haidt shows this same principle when he talks about the moral foundation of Loyalty and Betrayal. In his story, a group of boys discover that outsiders had used their swimming area. Faced with this problem, the boys elect a leader and together suggest ideas for what they should do. (Haidt 23) Now although this study was done in an American society, the moral principal still stands. When these boys were faced with a problem, they worked together to solve the problem. It was this betrayal of others that made them become more cohesive.
Later in his paper, Haidt talks about social norms forming within this group. As these social norms were enforced, a cohesive identity began to form within the group. This is who they were, which reflects what Randall Collins observed in society at large. Collin says, “We keep up conventions [or social norms], not because we believe in them, but because we studiously avoid questioning them… When they are violated, this positive sentiment of moral solidarity turns negative, into righteous anger directed against the culprit.” (Collins 199) This reproving is what forces people to conform with the social norms of society, which deepens the cohesiveness between people.
In conclusion, Tocqueville’s witness to the corporative nature of American democracy, with loyal members of society correcting disloyal member that broke social norms, is what made America cohesive. Either by fear or by cooperation, people are shaped into the democratic mold of America, creating the cohesion that we see today. Without these things, we would not see a society form that has an identity and cohesion that goes beyond the one generation.
