President George W. Bush delivered the commencement address at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan in 2005. Speaking at a school founded by Dutch Reformed immigrants, Bush built his address around the ideas of Alexis de Tocqueville, who wrote in 'Democracy in America' that the secret to America's success was its citizens' remarkable ability to band together without direction from government. Bush argued that the Founders rejected both radical individualism and dreary collectivism, creating instead a society where individual freedom is anchored in communities. Government, he said, cannot create character — but it can and should respect and support the institutions that do: families, churches, civic organizations, and volunteer groups.