Tocqueville speaks of the Mississippi valley as 'prepared by God for man' and asserts that the European conquest of Indian territory was destined by Providence. First of all, the notion of a divine plan guiding historya crucial underlying assumption of Tocqueville's thoughtis evident. AnalysisĪlthough it is straightforward and mostly descriptive, this first chapter still provides a few insights into key themes of Tocqueville's philosophy. The area around the Mississippi and in the plains is so well-suited for trade and industry that civilized man was destined to build a society there. One gains possession of land through agriculture. Because the Indians were hunters, they did not actually possess the land. Remains of previous civilizations have been found, but no one knows anything about them. Though they were ignorant, they were not servile like many of the poor in aristocratic countries.

The native tribes had a unique social organization, which was rudimentary and coarse in comparison to Europe, but which had a particular dignity as well. When settlers first went to America, it was not completely uninhabited.

The Mississippi River valley, still a largely uninhabited wilderness, 'is the most magnificent habitation ever prepared by God for man.' The areas east of the Alleghenies where the population is concentrated are much less suitable for agriculture. The region more suitable for human habitation is the southern one because it has more natural divisions. There are two regions, bordered on the north by the pole and on the south by the equator, and separated in the middle by the Great Lakes. Tocqueville begins within almost poetic description of the geographical layout of North America. Buy Study Guide Chapter 1: Physical Configuration of North America

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