In the three decades following the Second World War--the heyday of the "American Century"--Tocqueville's Democracy in America became a touchstone for liberal commentators in the United States. America was the future, or so Tocqueville proclaimed, and many agreed. Today, when liberal democracy is questioned, Tocqueville reads differently.  Join Columbia historian (and CC instructor) Richard R. John for a discussion of Tocqueville's enduring relevance in an age in which his "Essay on Algeria" seems as pertinent as his idealization of the voluntary association and a free press.