Domestic Manners of the Americans

“[T]he jarring tumult and universal degradation which invariably follow the wild scheme of placing all the power of the state in the hands of the populace.”

Right from the start of the book, Trollope establishes her opposition to democracy as practiced in America. At heart a believer in monarchy and a hierarchically ordered society (known in Britain as a Tory), Trollope believes that rule by the people creates chaos and disorder and breeds an unrefined society. Her book will be dedicated to showing why this is so through her observations of America.

“I left England with feelings so strongly opposed to slavery, that it was not without pain I witnessed its effects around me.”

Still early in the book, Trollope establishes one of her main premises: the evils of slavery. Entering America by the south, Trollope sees the existence of slavery immediately in the streets of New Orleans. Trollope came to America in large part from the inspiration of Fanny Wright’s abolitionist ideals. Yet Trollope combines anti-slavery sentiment with a dislike for democracy, a combination that might be seen to have inherent tension.

“How very childish does ignorance make us! And how very ignorant we are upon almost every subject, where hear-say evidence is all we can get!”

Trollope says this in connection with her initial pity for enslaved people, without realizing what their “real situation” was. In a larger sense, the quote relates to Trollope’s conviction that her account of America will present the country as it really is, from accurate observation, and not merely from rumor or hearsay. Trollope hopes to dispel ignorance about the reality of America.