Dear Thomas Jefferson,

I have been wanting to give you ‘Democracy in America,’ a book by Alexis de Tocqueville. I think that you will really like it, especially since he quotes you many times in the book. He says he prefers to quote you on some of the topics in the book because he regards you as the most powerful apostle of democracy that there has ever been.

I am particularly interested in getting your opinion about the points de Tocqueville makes about common good.

When he traveled throughout the United States, he saw that most Americans belonged to associations, clubs, churches, and service organizations. He thought that the way Americans made use of associations strengthened democracy. He says that it was clear to him that unless each citizen learned to combine with other people to preserve freedoms, then despotic action by the majority seeking power would make the individual and the country weaker.

I wonder if people in this country have lost a little of the spirit to join groups. In the past, I wonder if we were we more committed to building public places for people. I worry that the lost opportunity to belong to something with other people has weakened civil life.

Do you remember when I explained how the internet and social media work? I wonder if the success of those new ways of communicating with each other has threatened common good. It certainly makes it easier to keep in touch with people, but does it also allow people to connect without any of the commitments of working together? I would like to get your opinion.

I hear that when everyone contributes to something, everyone is stronger. Do you remember when we talked about birds of a feather flocking together? I am also worried that too many birds with the same feathers might stop working to help people who do not look like them.  They might not associate with people who do not vote the same way that they do. It seems like we live at a time when it is super easy to divide people and get them to fight with each other. How do we strengthen everyone in order to strengthen the group?

Do you think that public schools can teach common good in a way that the children in the democracy can learn important lessons needed for the survival of democracy?

After you read deTocqueville’s book, let’s get together to discuss it. I want to know if you think that common good and common sense is important in democracy. Is it deeply rooted in the heart of sustaining democracy itself?

I look forward to talking soon.

Sincerely,
Katy Dalgleish