Into the Wild 1830

Journey to the End of Civilization in 1830. Beyond the last hamlets of a few houses beyond isolated pioneers of houses in the forest, into the Indian territories of the great lakes. Tocqueville was lucky to arrive at the birth of the American nation, when the French and the English present there still feel really Europeans (see p.77-78), as Tocqueville Normand facing the end of his journey in Saginaw.

Tocqueville feels a cold mixture of admiration, uncompromising, and rejection, distancing, so much quon fails too to know that the Americans and the Indians Tocqueville feels closest.

On one side, he sees a tense nation towards a goal, in a relentless march forward:
"Nation conquerors who submits to conduct wildlife never get caught by his sweetness, which naime of civilization and enlightenment that what have Dutile welfare and senfonce in the solitudes of lAmérique with an ax and newspapers; people who, like all great peoples, na quune thought, walking to the acquisition of wealth sole purpose of its work, with perseverance and contempt for life, quon could call lhéroïsme if that name suited else Quà virtue. "

Dun other hand, we suspect a romantic bone in his vision of the Indians ("Lying on her coat amidst the smoke of his hut, looking with contempt lindien the home convenient to lEuropéen; for him, he proudly revels in its misery, and his heart swells and sélève the images of his barbarous independence He bitterly smiled as we torment our lives to acquire unnecessary wealth What we call industry, he lappelle shameful subjection ")...; even sil rightly puts finger on hypocrisy and sometimes linhumanité treatment of the Indians by the Americans:
"In the midst of this society so civilized, so prudish, if pedantic morality and virtue, a complete insensitivity encountered a kind dégoïsme, cold and ruthless when dealing with indigenous lAmérique. [] This world belongs to us, they added. God, denying its first inhabitants the ability to civilize them destined in advance to inevitable destruction.
Satisfied with his reasoning, lAméricain sen goes to the temple where he heard a minister of lEvangile tell him that men are brothers and that eternal Letre of them all on the same model, gave them all a duty to help. "

It is not known how Tocqueville embellishes his journey, but we can quadmirer his story and enjoy the chance to see American pioneer spirit as if we were not there, described with a decline even more striking 200 years after the fact.