Domestic Manners of the Americans

Trollope argues that American society is coarse and unrefined and that these qualities are a direct result of democratic government and culture. The belief that everyone is equal, according to Trollope, breeds a vulgar familiarity and lack of social respect and “decorum in manners and language” (86).

In part, Trollope’s observations rest on the conviction that there should be a legitimate hierarchy to society, with the more “refined” members of society receiving the highest honors and setting the example for the rest. Trollope implicitly considers herself of a higher class and resents being treated as an equal by people whom she regards as her inferiors. Somewhat paradoxically, the belief in equality in America goes hand in hand with an acceptance of slavery (which is an explicit denial of equality), and both beliefs contribute to the overall coarseness of American life.

As an illustration of the crudity of American society, Trollope in Chapter 13 recounts how a citizen rudely accosted President Jackson in the street during his visit to Cincinnati. Elsewhere she tells of Americans acting in an aggressively familiar way with strangers, such as her neighbors inviting themselves into her home or forcing their way into coaches as passengers.