When the United States Spoke French: Five Refugees Who Shaped a Nation

by François Furstenberg

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; theoristreformer 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.

Lin-Manuel Miranda’s smash Broadway musical  Hamilton  has sparked new interest in the Revolutionary War and the Founding Fathers. In addition to Alexander Hamilton, the production also features George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, Aaron Burr, Lafayette, and many more.

Genres: History, American History, Nonfiction, France, American Revolution, American, Politics

512 pages, Hardcover

First published July 10, 2014

Reviews

[Candida · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book offers a wealth of information about how the French really allied the United States and helped made independence possible. It also shows us the country's early politics. It is fascinating part of history that we hear very little about.

[Michael Crawford · Rating 5 out of 5]

I did not expect to like this book as much as I did. Sure I’m a sucker for French and American history. But the author correctly summarizes American history through a unique lense of the French. Typically I’m bored by the monotonous tendency to list names of people and spout their relationship or credential. Yawn. Francois sewed the fabric of their boring facts together with colorful stories that engaged me as a reader. Five men escape the Terror and arrive in a new world to find it occupied to a great extent by Frenchman. 10% really but they bonded as only a Citizen would. Viva la revolution.
Each man had their own path through history and that path is tracked to detail during the 90’s by this author. You know the history but its fun to see it though this glass as the Americans become the world power no one expected.

[Bob H · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the story of five French refugees from the 1790s revolution – Talleyrand, Liancourt, Naoilles, Moreau and Volney – and their influence on Philadelphia society. Philadelphia was, in Washington’s presidency, the US capital city and the center of its commerce and culture. The French émigrés would enrich, educate and charm Philadelphia society – glittering figures like Anne Bingham, who would become a major figure in society in Philadelphia, Paris and London. We see how Philadelphia would also form links to sympathetic figures like Lord Landsdowne (prime minister after Yorktown) and the rising financial house of Baring. Indeed, Alexander Baring would marry the Binghams’ daughter, and Gilbert Stuart’s portraits would serve as another relationship, we learn.

Indeed, the author shows how letters of introduction, in this pre-telegraph, pre-Post Office period, would serve to form relationships among these select luminaries, even into the American frontier. We see French (and, later, Dutch) émigré influence on the American backcountry grow in the 1790s, through capital and settlements. The author’s grasp of geography, demography and economic flow is crucial in this story, a key period in the Republic’s formation and expansion, driven, we’re told, by these Europeans’ riches. We see land successes and failures in Pennsylvania and Maine – utopian colonies form and decline, fortunes made and lost at a time when US national finances were weaker. We see the detached, almost separatist nature of the trans-Appalachian frontier at the time of the Whiskey Revolt. We even see British capital help buy, and grow, upstate New York.

The French emigres’ interest in the trans-Mississippi west – the Louisiana territory – would not be as friendly to the United States, we learn. Then under the tentative rule of Spain, this area would attract intrigue from the émigrés and a series of French governments, ending up with Bonaparte’s. We see how the slave revolt in Haiti would affect the fate of Louisiana, that Noailles would play a blood-drenched role in the Haiti revolt, and that Talleyrand, now Napoleon’s foreign minister, and Alexander Baring would serve critical roles in the eventual fate of the Louisiana territory.

Highly recommend as a well-researched, warmly-written perspective on the formative years of the Republic, peopled by brilliant and unforgettable characters. It’s something of an epic, and unique, perspective on an important time.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very attractive book and pretty close to my area of specialization. I felt like I really had to read it. And it was good! I have to say I did fade a bit past about the 3/4 mark. The book is called "When the United States Spoke French," but it could also be called "When a bunch of French guys lived in Philadelphia." Furstenberg spends most of his time with a group of French emigres who were fleeing the French Revolution, and ended up mainly in Philly because it was the most cosmopolitan American city. They made it even more cosmopolitan, and several of them became conduits for European investment that was flooding into America in the 1790s. They explored and invested in the backcountry, and socialized with Washington and Adams and Hamilton, and most of them eventually moved back to France when the bloodiness there died down.
Furstenberg sheds new and interesting light on the period, and if you are interested in the early republic era this is a great book for you. It was sort of hard to keep track of the names and dates after a while - who is this again? When did he get to the US? Was he the one with the bookstore or was it that other guy? That kind of thing. But all in all it's a really interesting piece of work.

[Meredith Allady · Rating 3 out of 5]

As someone deeply interested in this period of western history, I found this book perfectly readable and informative (connections between the slave revolt in Haiti and the Louisiana Purchase were entirely new to me). I also appreciated all the facsimiles of period advertisements, as well as the wealth of other illustrations. This being said, it wasn't the sort of narrative that was terribly gripping--it had no plot to speak of, being mostly a rather meandering back and forth offering of various facts: by back and forth I mean between characters--the emigres mentioned in the title--and also between continents. Anyone who has read another recent history book, ONE SUMMER by Bill Bryson, can envision how it is possible to have 400 plus pages narrating a fairly short period of time, and exploring the actions of relatively few people, in a way that is both fact-filled and compulsively readable: This isn't one of those books. It's a serviceable, well-documented work; but it isn't going to set the casual reader on fire with enthusiasm for its subject.

[Stacey · Rating 2 out of 5]

As dry as a Wasa cracker. I read forty pages before I realized that this isn't a narrative, it's a collection of vignettes. I kept trying to make each paragraph relate to the one before it, resulting in a lot of re-reading and confusion. I gave up at about page 50 because there was nothing compelling about continuing. I'm so surprised by all the great reviews. Were we reading the same book? What a snore.

[Carol · Rating 2 out of 5]

I blame Blackadder, but it is hard for me to read about American colonial times without picturing two bewigged actors slapping each other and Hugh Laurie prancing around like a silly ass. Also, the narrative has no focusing event but rather tries to weave together many themes, and there's not much drama. Finally, I can't keep all these white guys straight.

[Lesley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Immaculately researched and beautifully written but I just couldn't keep track of which french dude was where and when so it lost me.

[Gauthier · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I closed this book after reading it entirely, I was left contemplative, impressed, and terrifically amazed by the subject(s) and its contents. While the title seems to indicate the book focuses solely on the "five refugees who shaped a Nation", it actually goes way beyond that. When the United States Spoke French is a book about this period of the late 18th century when French noblemen and clergymen fled a France shaken by a tremendous revolution. After a short stay in Great-Britain for some of them, they ended up in Philadelphia, capital of the young United States at the time. What they soon discovered is that they were not the only ones. Throughout the early 1790s, many French people had moved to Philadelphia, where they made their presence known by opening businesses, writing gazettes, influencing local culture, teaching French to elites' children, teaching dance, and implementing French lifestyle. It is in this climate where pro French sentiment was high that our 5 refugees, some of them very famous such as Noailles, who fought during the American Revolution, Liancourt, who is famous for having responded to Louis XVI when the latter asked him if what was happening in France was a revolt, "no, sire. It's a revolution", and finally Talleyrand, the one and only bishop of Autun who would see no less than 5 different heads of state succeed each other as France leadership and whose role under each reign does not cease to fascinate. We follow these refugees as they make a life in this world and mingle with American elites. An aspect of the book that is impressive is that the author does not limit himself to showcasing French influence on salon life and elites' education. He also shows how the French émigrés (noblemen who fled France due to their status) were involved in the American economic development through land speculation. It is interesting to note that Liancourt observes American society as being obsessed with making money. Yet, he does not refrain to do so himself through land speculation. And here we are, witnessing our French refugees traveling through the United States in venture of business opportunities, sometimes simply because they are bored as they miss France, and helping channel European capital in a country that is in dire need of it to develop its lands. And yet, the author keeps taking us beyond the lives of our 5 refugees who are sometimes actors and sometimes witnesses of much larger events such as attempts by the French government to mobilize American resources to fight the British and even increase their influence in the Mississipi Valley where they hope to contest Spanish control and make use of settlers unhappiness with the US government to achieve their ends. We learn how the US government was very much worried of seeing fringes of its lands switch allegiance to the French. They were also much worried about how those moves by the French government threatened their neutrality stance, which they desired very much to maintain. We also learn of a much larger plan of the French government to take back control of Louisiana, a former colony they had placed under Spanish control, which would allow them to support their colony of Saint-Domingue (today Haiti), deemed the richest colony of all empires at the time. Unfortunately for the French, their presence in Louisiana was seen as an obstacle to US westward expansion and the Americans, despite owing their independence to the French, increasingly turned toward their former enemy, Great-Britain. Yet, French control of Louisiana was dependent on French control of Saint-Domingue, which was in a state of rebelion. In the end, the French failed to take Saint-Domingue and thus, their plans for Louisiana, creating a buffer state comprised of French settlers and Natives, never materialized. It is for this reason that Napoleon sold Louisiana to the US for almost nothing.
Thus, this book takes us on a grand tour of the United States in the 1790s and its early westward expansions, its insatiable thirst for lands, its relationships with former enemies like Great-Britain and former allies like France. We witness a society profoundly pro French at first and quickly becoming anti French as the US government turns more and more toward the British for trade and stability while the French are seen more and more as a threat to American expansion.
This book offers much more than it lets on and it is definitely a great read to understand the evolution of Franco-American relations in the years that followed the American Revolution and to this day.

[Mike Clinton · Rating 5 out of 5]

A five-star ranking may be admittedly on the generous side, and it's given for reasons--or just a sentiment perhaps--different than those that led me to give others five stars. It's simply that this book pleased me in the most basic way that a good book (a "goodread", if I may) does. I was entertained and amused, plus intrigued, informed, and fascinated. There were a few personal draws that heightened my interest, too: the Philadelphia connection, for one, which allowed me to learn even more about my city; and the (unexpected) opportunity to find out more about the duc de la Rochefoucauld-Liancourt, who has played a critical albeit not very robust role in my own historical research. This is a great example of how fine style and storytelling can be wed to significant historical research and writing.

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great history of the early US and colonies with France. Seen through the experiences of five Frenchmen, this history tells the story of early French colonization. The French were on the Western frontier mainly trading with Native Americans while the British colonists were intent in settling and removing Native Americans from their land. Refugees from St. Domingue came to the US at an early stage. Refugees from the French Revolution came as well. Some devoted royalists, others looking forward to seeing France as a republic. Problems occurred when Napoleon took power and made the French suspect to imperialism. Concern for St Domingue refugees also heightened concern that Louisiana, New Orleans and Mississippi would be taken over by France. Sedition laws were created specifically to prevent and reduce French asylum seekers from being able to settle. Interesting story.

[Ruthmarie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely fascinating account of France's inroads into the North American continent that, as the conclusion notes, come full circle when the United States helps reestablishFrance's economy and political life in the aftermath of World War II. The most interesting chapters for me are those that reveal the very close ties of France, the Caribbean, and North America, and how that triangle is implicated in the wars, the diplomacy, the material life, the grand ideas, and more. While I didn't read this text as closely as I might, and though I took a long break from it to read a few other works, its energy propelled me from one chapter to the next. Worth the read.

[Sarah Powers · Rating 2 out of 5]

Started out interesting, and was informative about the social, political, cultural, and economical presence and influence of the French in the U.S. during the late 1700s. Very repetative! Main themes, stories, and charactes were presented multiple times with only slight alteration. Very poorly edited. The book could be one third of the length and not repeat itself. Can't really recommend wholeheartedly.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating examination of the French noblemen who fled The Terror and ended in Philadelphia. Their efforts to integrate into a new culture, business enterprises and involvement in the Haitian revolution were all new to me. On a personal note the book contains the best description of the French colony of Asylum in NE Pennsylvania. Visited it years ago with my late aunt and it was a better description of the colony and it's collapse than I had from the site itself.

[Tarah Luke · Rating 1 out of 5]

I technically DNF this because I could not continue to read it. Fun fact- I wrote my PhD dissertation on American attitudes towards Napoleon and the French and I heartily disagree with his thesis and opinions. A better historian would have finished the book— I don’t have the time or inclination to do so right now. Maybe later on I will come back to it.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating read on a part of American history I hadn't much considered. 1790-1804 were pretty influential and deserve a lot more than they get in most history texts; the Louisiana purchase wasn't just so Napoleon could finance his wars, nor was it a given that he'd sell to the U. S.
There's always more to the story.

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you’re not familiar with French Revolutionary History, this May be a little pedantic, but it is a fascinating history of French interactions with the Early Republic. American historians take note!!!

[Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tells the story of the new American republic and the influence of five refugees from the French Revolution. Their financial connections help Americans acquire vast tracts of lands and, ultimately, the Louisana Purchase.

[Pascal Blanquer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting part of french American history
This pet is really not usually taught in France history class which focus more on the French Revolution and its European aspects

[Masha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the biographies of this interesting cast of characters. Thorough use of first accounts, letters, and advertisements. There is a lot of focus on art history. I found the content phenomenal, but i prefer more concise writing, so I lost interest in some chapters.

[Ronnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I will write a review this week

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Francois Furstenberg has written a book that connects the history of the early United States with the history of the early republic of France.

"When the United States Spoke French" follows five frenchmen who played active roles in overthrowing the French monarchy and its ancien régime. But these men had to flee France when the revolution grew radical and bloody. Exiled from France, Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord, the duc de Liancourt, Louis-Marie Vicomte de Noailles, Moreau de Saint-Méry, and the Comte Volney settled in the United States and created a French ex-patriot community in Philadelphia. In the capital of the young nation, these men interacted with wealthy merchants, their families, and members of George Washington's presidential administration.

Furstenberg follows the lives of the five French ex-patriots to highlight the great degree to which the politics, economies, and culture of France and the United States were entangled. The greatest contribution of "When the United States Spoke French" is Furstenberg's ability to detail how poor relations between the United States and France led the French, with the help of many of the five ex-patriots, to intrigue for French acquisition of the Louisiana Territory.

Furstenberg convincingly points out that if France had taken control of the Louisiana Territory, it would have prevented the United States from expanding from "sea to shining sea." France had the power to take over this territory. Napoleon and his ministers took steps to establish a government in New Orleans; France purchased the territory from Spain. Napoleon sent a large army to cement a French presence in Louisiana, but before they reached New Orleans, he ordered his generals to stop in Saint Domingue to quash the power of Toussaint L'Overture and his rebellious government. The slave revolt and revolution in Haiti secured continental expansion for the United States; the war and tropical diseases of Saint Domingue decimated Napoleon's troops and took away their power to re-establish a French empire on the North American continent.

"When the United States Spoke French" is a well-researched book. At times it is too well researched. Furstenberg makes excellent points that many readers may lose in tangents such as the traditions involved in Benjamin West's portraits of George Washington. Other lengthy, interesting, but superfluous details may cause readers to abandon this large tome before they reach the second part of the book, but they should resist the urge to put the book down because it is in this second part that Furstenberg makes his great case of the entanglement between the politics, economies, and culture of French and the United States.

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Furstenberg uses the personal stories of five French men in Philadelphia to tell the story of the United States’ position in the Atlantic World at the end of the 18th century. Biographies make most sense when they’re roughly chronological, but this book is arranged thematically, which means that even though the personal lives of the men are meant to illustrate the bigger points of the book, the two things seem to be constantly fighting each other. As a reader, you cycle through the characters' lives several times without ever really getting to know them or understanding how different parts of their lives fit together. Also, while bringing a historical time period to life through the stories of real people seems to be a way of making the book accessible to all readers, the book actually requires a lot of knowledge of French political history that I would guess the average person doesn’t have. All of this is to say that while the book is absolutely an exciting and interesting academic work, it’s not something I’d suggest picking up casually and for fun.

[Bill Pritchard · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are many reasons to enjoy reading history - one of them is to uncover books such as this that fill in the holes in your understanding of an important time or place. The importance of the French thru our countries Revolutionary War, along with the real importance of helping the United States grow from our infancies to our first stretching of our limbs - the time of our first three Presidents - made this book by Francois Furstenberg an excellent read. Here we are introduced to the men who fled France during their revolution to join the country that became the embodiment of what they hoped their country would become. These French made Philadelphia a grand place to be - and their astute observations and attention to politic made our earliest leaders better men and leaders. Our relationship soured as Jefferson took office, but it was this souring, along with one bad battle on a small Caribbean island, that gave us the single largest land purchase in our history. You will walk away with a better understanding of these men, and because of it, our country. Highly Recommended.

[Bookworm · Rating 1 out of 5]

Wow, was this boring. I am really shocked at the number of positive reviews for this book. Like what others have said: did we read the same book?
 
The book is about five men who flee to the United States and their adventures. At least, that's what I think the book is about. It's really a bunch of names and a bunch of events all mashed up together.
 
I realize that I am not a historian, I could probably improve on my knowledge of the US at this time, expand more on my European history. But having no knowledge of these guys (and therefore no ties or emotional connection to them) made it difficult to follow their stories. I'm sure for a Francophile or a US person who has studied abroad in France (or a French person studying abroad here in the US) might like this book. It's written for a rather narrow, very niche audience that I am not a part of.
 
I ended up buying it as a bargain book but I really regret it. Borrow unless it's a book you really must need or you know you like it or whatever.
 
 

[Lynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's such a pleasure when a writer reveals an aspect of American life that I had never even thought about. Furstenberg sketches the lives of several refugees from the French Revolution who lived in Philadelphia and traveled around the United States. Some of their names were familiar; others are more obscure. At times it was hard to tell them apart, not helped by the author skipping around in time. But he brings them to life with anecdotes about them as individuals rather than clumped together as evil aristocrats in a history textbook. A great follow-up to Hilary Mantel's A Place of Greater Safety.

[Jenn Cavanaugh · Rating 3 out of 5]

I know history is not linear and that the fact of the historical personnages being all tangled up in each other is somewhat the author's point, but it is also the author's task to impose some order. Fistfuls of names litter the pages long before we are properly introduced. Anecdotes and quotes are repeated as we jump back and forth on timelines and themes. Great topic, though, and generally good writing that would have benefitted from reformatting the separately written bits into a more coherent chronology.

[Thom · Rating 5 out of 5]

I learned a great deal of new perspectives on this period of history after the American and during the French and Haitian Revolutions. It is a blend of social and political history, and the combination makes the one I feel I should learn but find less compelling more agreeable. The connections and ties created through this small group of French émigrés is fascinating and noteworthy, a terrific lens through which to understand this fascinating period.

[Jim Blessing · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a quite interesting book on the influence of 5 French refugees from the French revolution, who lived in Philadelphia during the 1790s. The book explained how the success of a slave revolt in Haiti was a key factor in keeping Napoleon conquering New Orleans and likely the Northwest Territory during the 1800's.

[Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked it towards the end, when several narrative threads were brought together in the French plan to couple together Louisiana and San Dominique, which then collapsed and the Louisiana Purchase happened, all with some of these five French emigres involved in one way or another.

History could have gone so differently, had they succeeded in more of their attempts.