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When the United States spoke French : five refugees who shaped a nation

Summary: "In 1789, as the French Revolution shook Europe to the core, the new United States was struggling for survival in the face of financial insolvency and bitter political and regional divisions. When the United States Spoke French explores the republic's formative years from the viewpoint of a distinguished circle of five Frenchmen taking refuge in America. When the French Revolution broke out, these men had been among its leaders. They were liberal aristocrats and ardent Anglophiles, convinced of the superiority of the British system of monarchy and constitution. They also idealized the new American republic, which seemed to them an embodiment of the Enlightenment ideals they celebrated. But soon the Revolutionary movement got ahead of them, and they found themselves chased across the Atlantic. François Furstenberg follows these five men -- Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord, Napoleon's future foreign minister; theorist/reformer Rochefoucauld, the duc de Liancourt; Louis-Marie Vicomte de Noailles; Moreau de Saint-Méry; and Constantin-François Chasseboeuf, Comte Volney -- as they left their homes and families in France, crossed the Atlantic, and landed in Philadelphia -- then America's capital, its principal port, and by far its most cosmopolitan city and the home of the wealthiest merchants and financiers. The book vividly reconstructs their American adventures, following along as they integrated themselves into the city and its elite social networks, began speculating on backcountry lands, and eventually became enmeshed in Franco-American diplomacy. Through their stories, we see some of the most famous events of early American history in a new light, from the diplomatic struggles of the 1790s to the Haitian Revolution to the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. By the end of this period, the United States was on its way to becoming a major global power. Through this small circle of men, we find new ways to understand the connections between U.S. and world history, and gain fresh insight into American history's most critical era. Beautifully written and brilliantly argued, When the United States Spoke French offers a fresh perspective on the tumultuous years of the young nation, when the first great republican experiments were put to the test"--

Record details

  • ISBN: 1594204411 (hardback)
  • ISBN: 9781594204418 (hardback)
  • Physical Description: 498 pages : illustrations ; 25 cm
    print
  • Publisher: New York : The Penguin Press, 2014.

Content descriptions

Bibliography, etc. Note: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Formatted Contents Note: Strange reunions: an introduction -- Pt. 1: The United States speaks French. France comes to America ; Settling in America : Philadelphia speaks French ; Franco-American networks and polite Atlantic spaces -- Pt. 2: The French Revolution in the West. Transatlantic land speculation ; France in the Mississippi Valley ; The émigrés return to France, France returns to America -- A conclusion: Empty houses.
Subject: United States History Constitutional, 1789-1809
France History Revolution, 1789-1799 Refugees
Political refugees Pennsylvania Philadelphia History 18th century
French Pennsylvania Philadelphia History 18th century
Political refugees France History 18th century
Philadelphia (Pa.) Social conditions 18th century
Aristocracy (Social class) France History 18th century

Available copies

  • 4 of 4 copies available at SPARK Libraries.

Holds

  • 0 current holds with 4 total copies.
Show Only Available Copies
Location Call Number / Copy Notes Barcode Shelving Location Status Due Date
Indian Valley Public Library 973.3 Furstenberg History (Text) 39427102895919 Nonfiction Room: Adult Nonfiction Available -
Memorial Library of Nazareth and Vicinity 944.04 FUR 2014 (Text) 31001101706431 Adult Non Fiction Available -
Montrose 973.4 FURS (Text) 37000009463966 SSQM Main Floor Available -
Bethlehem Main Library 944.04 (Text) 33062008326242 Adult Nonfiction Available -

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