.
In his home country of France and throughout most of Western Europe, the church had an enormous authority over the citizens, often being inseparable from the government and directly influencing their political philosophy. However, in America, he notices that even with the almost universal acceptance of Christianity among its citizens, their political beliefs are not swayed by the ideas that they hear in church, but rather are formed independently of the church, theoretically allowing for a democracy with a distinct separation of church and state. He continues with this thought, saying that the American clergy "are aware of the intellectual power exercised by the majority. Thus public opinion is never their enemy; rather it sustains and protects them." .
So, it is that by respecting all democratic instincts which are not in opposition to it, and by using the support of several of these instincts, religion succeeds in gaining advantage in the struggle against the spirit of personal independence" (Tocqueville 518). He is making the argument that while the separation of church and state is a favorable policy for a strong democracy, what really makes the American church so unique and wonderful is its ability to listen to the majority, and amend itself based on what the public is asking of it. He notes that this is a beneficial relationship for both the church and the churchgoers, who seek a sense of independence from potentially tyrannical institutions, just as the found fathers sought to free themselves from England, but at the same time are looking for spiritual guidance. .
Similar to his praise of religious freedom in America, Tocqueville also commended American-style democracy. He wrote that the "the character of democracies reveals itself not only in the great number of new words brought into use, but also in the kinds of ideas represented by these new words"" (Tocqueville 554).
