Aristotle and Tocqueville

1.) If Aristotle saw this picture, I believe he would be quite fond of it because it demonstrates many of his ideals. Aristotle believed that effective governments were led by a leader, or leaders, who govern with a view to the common interest. In this painting, George Washington is clearly leading this meeting however he is looking out towards the room in an effort to understand where everyone is coming from. He also believed that voting is the people's right to express their rule, or opinion, and i believe that is why he would be on board with the constitution because that was their way of expressing their complaints and opinions. 

2.) When it comes to positions in society pictured in this painting, there is a leader or president (Washington), the public or the average in front, the cabinets behind the president, and the senators and congressmen sit directly in front of Washington. However, along with these positions and political aspects, there are also some social elements involved. Mutuality and skepticism are two that I found. I believe there is mutuality because all of these different people and classes are coming together to sign a petition for one common goal which was very important back then. I also think there is skepticism because while you can see people agreeing with the leader, there are some people in the back and in the crowd who don't look completely confident or supportive. 

3.) From looking at this painting, I think Aristotle would have assumed that the government being formed was a Democracy. His idea of a democracy was a society that believed in equality over anything else, and rid the city of a power that dominates through wealth or influence. Aristotle's idea of an oligarchy was a society that was the most interested in the wealthy. Clearly, the signing of the constitution was all about equality and being free from British power; and it did not matter what class you belonged in or how much money you earned, your opinion mattered most. 

4.) Many of the men who signed the constitution were of normal or middle class and did not have much power at the time. All of them ultimately wanted to be free of British rule and it took few people to take a stand and collaborate with all of these men to bring together a petition. After the events unfolded after the signing of the constitution, many of the men who led the way (Washington, Madison, Hamilton, etc.) were noticed and recognized and that is when they started making a difference.

5.) Tocqueville and Aristotle had many similar beliefs when it came to the government. Tocqueville agreed that all Americans can vote and that power can be distributed evenly and sometimes unevenly. While both men had similar opinions towards democracies, Aristotle was more broad with his research on governments. He mentioned oligarchy, tyranny, polity, and many other forms of governing styles. While Tocqueville agreed with Aristotle's views on democracy, he only focused on one style.