L'Amerique Au Xviiie Siecle: La Naissance Des Etats-Unis

The transition from English colonies to the United States is worthy of a spell-binding adventure novel (the colonists were not trying to win independence at first, but were compelled to do so in response to blunders committed by the London government), heroism (the Minutemen serving as their own “An II” type of soldiers), verve (women replacing their wounded husbands to fire the cannons), betrayal (the decision made by the top lieutenant under Washington [1732–1799] to turn West Point over to the enemy to please his wife), greatness (Washington, undaunted when facing disaster, transforming himself into the “organizer of victory”), and fraternity (the France of La Fayette (1757–1834) saving the Republic from the brink of despair).Yet only a small part of this book is devoted to this short-lived war, for this was the century that gave birth to modern America, whose already prodigious growth – and particularly its trade – outpaced even that of France , whose ports had already become essential to European traffic, and whose craftsmanship surpassed its English models. This was indeed an outstanding moment in the history of civilisations, in which European humanism built upon the ideas of Jefferson (1743–1826) and Franklin (1706–1790), and in which the Declaration of Independence served as a model for the old continent. The star-studded banner of 4 July, and the Constitution (which, even today, serves as an example of balance and democracy) were part of a triumph that very soon attained a myth-like status, without managing to erase its grey areas (the institution of slavery, contempt for Indians, and maintaining women in a secondary role).America of that era derives the originality of what constituted a decisive phase in contemporary world history from the acceptance of its constitutive duality.