Society, Manners and Politics

Published in the United States in 1839, the letters of French political economist Michel Chevalier made note of the economic constructs of America, comparing the democratic model he found in the U.S. to the aristocratic model more prevalent in Europe. Chevalier focused his attention on work in America-on the centrality of employment to American culture and politics, and how work, rather than class, gave the American his place in society. He also made note of forms of transportation, particularly railroads, as well as of slavery, banking, and the policies of Andrew Jackson.