In this groundbreaking new work, Matthew Mancini tells the surprising story of Alexis de Tocqueville's reception in American thought and culture from the time of his 1831 visit to the United States to the turn of the twenty-first century. The author uncovers an historical record that is replete with unmistakable evidence of Tocqueville's continuing importance to American intellectuals throughout the post-Civil War period of his supposed oblivion, and also of his reputation being exaggerated by recent historians referring to the post-World War II decades.   Through comprehensive analysis of Tocqueville's published works, Mancini critically examines the ways in which Tocqueville's ideas have been received and, at times, misunderstood. Mancini challenges almost every element of the common understanding of Tocqueville's reception into American intellectual culture while recovering and re-examining many important intellectuals of the last 150 years. In doing so, Mancini inscribes an important chapter in American cultural history, namely the idea of Tocqueville himself.

"Though several scholars have referred to Tocqueville's influence, few have attempted composing a thoughtful treatise that explores the how and why of his impact. Not only has Mancini made this pursuit his own, this resulting work is nothing short of essential. . . . Clearly, the historian has spent many years in serious contemplation of his subject, and this intellectually engrossing work benefits from his unambiguous, self-assured interpretation. . . . Essential." - CHOICE

"The strengths of this book are considerable, not least the demonstration that Tocqueville has never truly disappeared from the American landscape. Especially noteworthy are Mancini's excavations of the Johns Hopkins connection and of Tocqueville's direct and indirect appropriation by American Catholics and Progressives. . . . [Mancini's] book represents a real scholarly contribution that opens up fascinating interpretive possibilities." - Political Studies Review

"Mancini has produced an invaluable study of Tocqueville's American reception. His criticism of other Tocqueville scholars is pointed, and his exhaustive research is impressive. . . . A major contribution to both Tocqueville studies and American intellectual history." - Journal of Southern History