Chapter 4, pages 194-195

In Chapter 4 Tocqueville argues that Americans have what's called political association but this differs substantially from Europe.  Tocqueville says that Americans basically talk their ideas out, but cease to ever accomplish much.  Whereas Europeans are not looking for an outlet to express their ideas but make their ideas a reality.  A fatal flaw in European association he says is the possibility of tyranny and oppression.  Leaving Tocqueville to decide America's freedom to associate is a much more civilized one.  I found the argument surrounding his central theme engaging .  He argues because Europeans never have a chance of representing the majority they instead result to a less than stellar means of accomplishing their goals.  He claims that in America we do not have this problem because a difference of opinion is nothing more than an annoyance.  We are free to think and speak how we feel but unlike Europe everyone has this same ability.  What I took away from this chapter is that in America their is a sense of respect for others ideas.  This same sense of respect for others ideas in Europe is something less tolerable.

New Destination for the Children, pg. 296-297

Linda waited for six months for news that her daughter Ellen had made it to New York. This news came in the form of a letter to Linda's grandmother. In the letter, Ellen expressed a sentiment to her mother.  Ellen prays for her mother each morning and night.  The remainder of the letter was written by a young lady with whom Ellen was staying. The end of the letter left Linda with a sense of uneasiness about her daughter's future. The letter's author had referred to Ellen as "her little waiting maid." Linda verbalized this uneasiness by conjuring up a variety of outlandish scenarios for her daughter's future. 
After reading this particular passage, I felt that Linda's life was starkly differently from that of an average slave.  I understand Linda's reluctance to trust anyone, but I feel as though the letter's author was trying to put her at ease, not scare her.  Linda takes the letter out of context.

Norton, "The Small Circle of Domestic Concerns."

In chapter one, Norton describes the fundamental structure of a typical eighteenth century American home.  The husband was the head of the family.  The women desired notoriety with respect to their daily household affairs.  Livingston romanticized the colonial female in his essay “Our Grand-Mothers.”  Livingston paints a picture of a woman who is content; she strives to please her husband with every action and attempts to instill this in her own daughters.  Norton continues the chapter discussing the woman’s role in finances.  The husband controls the money and prevents the wife from having any input.  The women are put at a significant disadvantage due to inexperience regarding monetary matters in the absence of the husband.  Norton does not fail to mention that the women are just as much responsible as the men.  Norton highlights the many examples of this phenomenon such as the shock of learning debt burdens for the first time.  Males and females experienced drastically different situations in the eighteenth century.