Cosmopolitan patriots: Americans in Paris in the age of revolution

This truly transnational history reveals the important role of Americans abroad inthe Age of Revolution, as well as providing an early example of the limits of American influence onother nations.

From the beginning of the French Revolution to its end at the hands of Napoleon,American cosmopolitans like Thomas Jefferson, Gouverneur Morris, Thomas Paine, Joel Barlow, andJames Monroe drafted constitutions, argued over violent means and noble ends, confronted suddenregime changes, and negotiated diplomatic crises such as the XYZ Affair and the Louisiana Purchase.

Eager to report on what they regarded as universal political ideals and practices, Americans againand again confronted the particular circumstances of a foreign nation in turmoil.

In turn, what theywitnessed in Paris caused these prominent Americans to reflect on the condition and prospects oftheir own republic.

Thus, their individual stories highlight overlooked parallels between thenation-building process in both France and America, and the two countries' common struggle toreconcile the rights of man with their own national identities.