The Impact of the French Revolution of American Society
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The impact of the French revolution of American society was great. First of all it resulted in deep sympathy to French who released itself from the chains of tyranny and absolute monarchy. It was the second country that accepted the ideas of equality and liberty after the USA and the second country that declared the rights and freedoms of citizens to be equal
The impact of the French revolution of American society was great. First of all it resulted in deep sympathy to French who released itself from the chains of tyranny and absolute monarchy. It was the second country that accepted the ideas of equality and liberty after the USA and the second country that declared the rights and freedoms of citizens to be equal. Based on the declaration of independence of the USA, and on the basics of American constitution French constitution became the prototype for the constitutions of democratic states later on, ensuring the principles of democracy and social justice. Besides sympathy among common people, events in France gave the soil for more contradictions in American congress between republicans and federalists. Most of the issues concerned the relations of the USA and UK and relations of the USA and France. In 1793 UK declared the war to France and its revolutionary government.
The contradictions in the directions of the foreign policy became even sharper as a reaction on the world events especially in France. Republicans sympathized French revolution and considered it to be the “daughter of American revolution”, on the other hand federalists made the conclusion form the events in France that ochlocracy (or the power of crowds and common people) is destructive for the state and ideas of social order. With the start of the war between England and France in 1793 republicans had their plans to assist French government pointing on the agreement of 1778, that made Americans to defend French colonies in West-India, but federalists wanted to save the relations with England, because in other case there would be a huge damage brought to the trade and navigation of New England.
Still the events of French revolution had some negative impact for American society as well. President Adams issued a law about “foreigners” in 1798 against revolutionary immigration for France and Ireland and a law about “instigation” that threatened to imprison those who would criticize government.
Washington, who was reelected in 1793, issued a famous declaration April, 22nd. He established a new principle of the American foreign policy- non-intervention to the European affairs, and accordingly he asked his countrymen to be neutral to the European events.
But there came the question: was there any possibility to be neutral to the European events? The events of further years had shown that it was impossible, because already on the primary stage of the development of American state the ties and relations with Europe were so important and close, that any change in Europe had a direct relation to the USA. That’s why the great good exchange and foreign trade with Europe anyhow makes a relation of the USA to the European events.
Jay established a new trade agreement with Great Britain in 1794 that put American interests in disadvantage and spoiled the relations with France. But at that time it was the only optimal decision. It gave the birth to sharp arguments that made Washington to refuse from being elected on the third president term. It gave the case for the precedent that the same person cannot be in the office longer than 8 years.
The problems in the field of the foreign policy that were resulted by the events of the French revolution gave a good basement for the further thinking about the foreign policy and its priorities to American congress. Thomas Jefferson in late 1790ies restored the relations with France and found alternative with England. The purchase of New Orleans and Louisiana April 30, 1803 is considered to be the most important and the richest on the further impacts for America, among all the treaties of early American state.
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