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The Tocqueville Forum on the Roots of American Democracy, an initiative housed in the Department of Government at Georgetown University, seeks to advance the study of America's founding principles and their roots in the Western philosophical and religious traditions. Named for Alexis de Tocqueville, the 19th-century French observer of America, the Forum endeavors to emulate Tocqueville's sympathetic and penetrating exploration of the origins of and prospects for American constitutional democracy.
Sponsoring events such as conferences, lectures and colloquia on the campus of Georgetown University, the Tocqueville Forum hopes to deepen classical liberal learning and elevate the civic understanding of the students of Georgetown University and the next generation of citizens and leaders. More... 
Events
The Tocqueville Forum continues its active schedule during the 2009 spring semester, beginning with an event on January 14 titled "The Moral Trajectory of Modern Democracy: The Thought of Alexis de Tocqueville and John Paul II," by Carson Holloway of the University of Nebraska, Omaha. Other scheduled events during the spring semester include a conference on natural rights and the Constitution, our Lincoln Day lecture celebrating Lincoln's 200th birthday, and our second annual Fr. Schall Award ceremony. See our events page for the full schedule. More...
Tocqueville Forum in the News
- The Tocqueville Forum features in Philanthropy Magazine's Winter 2009 issue.
- Rev. James Schall, S.J. Award mentioned in The Catholic Thing
- Tocqueville Forum featured in The Wall Street Journal
- Rev. James Schall, S.J. Award featured in Ignatius Insight
- NAS executive director Peter Wood mentions Georgetown initiative as "programs of Western civilization planted on the shores of the alien empires that universities have become" in speech to Minnesota Association of Scholars
- Deputy chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities, Thomas K. Lindsay, identified an initiative at Georgetown University - meaning the Tocqueville Forum - as an exemplary program seeking to foster deeper understanding of American principles and citzenship
- Philadelphia Inquirer story features Tocqueville Forum Spring 2008 event on "Living with the Dead: Why Cities Need Cemeteries and Nations Need Memorials"
"The greatness of America lies not in being more enlightened than any other nation, but rather in her ability to repair her faults."