Making America Great by Making Her Godly
by Thomas Lee Abshier, ND
3/22/2025
The quote often attributed to Alexis de Tocqueville goes as follows:
“America is great because she is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, she will cease to be great.”
However, while this sentiment is frequently associated with de Tocqueville, there is no evidence that he actually wrote or said this in his famous work, Democracy in America (1835/1840), or elsewhere. Scholars and historians have searched his writings and have not found this specific phrase.
Context and Likely Origins
- The quote captures the spirit of de Tocqueville’s observations about the moral and religious foundations of American democracy. In Democracy in America, he emphasizes the importance of religion, morality, and civic virtue in sustaining liberty and democracy.
- Some speculate that the phrase might have been paraphrased or popularized by later commentators or authors inspired by de Tocqueville’s ideas.
Key Related Passages in Democracy in America
While the specific quote is unverified, de Tocqueville does make statements that align with its sentiment:
- On Religion in America:
“Religion in America… must be regarded as the first of their political institutions… I do not know whether all Americans have a sincere faith in their religion—for who can search the human heart?—but I am certain that they hold it to be indispensable to the maintenance of republican institutions.”
- On Morality and Liberty:
“Despotism may govern without faith, but liberty cannot.”
These passages reflect de Tocqueville’s belief that America’s strength and greatness were tied to its moral and religious character.
Conclusion
While the famous “great because she is good” quote is widely attributed to Alexis de Tocqueville, there is no direct evidence he said or wrote it. Nevertheless, it captures the essence of his observations about the link between morality, religion, and the success of a democratic society in Democracy in America.
My Campaign slogan, “Making American Great by making her Godly, One Soul at a Time,” captures the essence of my campaign. We shall return to greatness as a nation as we return to Godliness.
My campaign strategy is to create an overwhelmingly large block of evangelical Christian voters. We can reclaim America for Christ when Christians boldly and confidently share the good news, live the way of Christ, and exercise their right to vote. My platform is a comprehensive list of issues and solutions for addressing our social, moral, economic, and political challenges. I believe the solutions to all of the problems of our nation/society have already been developed. When we are committed as a nation to choosing Godly solutions, the obstacles to their implementation will be removed. I will surround myself with experts committed to solving the problems in their area of responsibility and coordinating those solutions with the larger society.
I am promoting my candidacy by educating voters through my books, blogs, video blogs, Zoom meetings, podcasts, and personal appearances when invited. The possibility of winning the presidential race becomes realistic only if those few I connect with, both in person and virtually, are sufficiently impacted by my message that they become emboldened to share the message of Jesus Christ.
The message must be sufficiently potent that each person who hears my message shares it with two, who also shares it with two, etc. My message must be replicable, meaning my approach must inspire faith and action on a personal and political level. Those who are newly converted or revitalized Christians must share that message at a sufficient rate to convert or renew the faith of others.
If each person effectively shares this message with two others within a month who likewise effectively share the message, the exponential increase in supporters will reach the numbers needed to achieve victory by the November 2028 election. If the number of voters supporting my candidacy doubled every month, the number of supporters would go from 1 voter to 84 million in 26 months.
Of course, my message must be very potent to inspire such self-motivated voluntary campaigning on my behalf. Thus, for my campaign to succeed with this strategy, it must inspire religious zeal. This is an overt aspect of my campaign. This campaign appeals to people to make America Godly through personal transformation and elect national leadership committed to making government holy. The down-ticket candidates in the House and Senate will likewise be electable if they are committed to Godly legislation.
The distinctive nature of my campaign pitch will be education about and justification of the proposition that life is fundamentally lived in the presence of God, as seen by the implications of my physics theory. We please or displease Him as we obey the leading of the Holy Spirit as He guides us in living the way of Jesus Christ. We as a nation will be proportionally rewarded or cursed by how we please or displease God in our speech, thoughts, and actions. Making America Great depends on our personal choices to live according to the standards of Godliness. One of those choices is electing local, state, and national leaders who will use the power of the State to legislate, adjudicate, and execute the law righteously.