http://hdl.handle.net/1893/35939
Appears in Collections: | History and Politics eTheses |
Title: | John Adams and US-French Diplomacy |
Author(s): | Maron, Philippe |
Supervisor(s): | Nicolson, Colin Toth, Gyorgy |
Keywords: | John Adams United States of America France Vergennes American History Early American History Diplomacy Thomas Jefferson Benjamin Franklin French History Intrigues American Revolution Asymmetry Treaty of Paris |
Issue Date: | Aug-2023 |
Publisher: | University of Stirling |
Abstract: | Despite the number of publications written about John Adams (1735-1826), few have investigated his diplomatic endeavours in relation to France, and the consequences these had on his thoughts and actions. Through archival research and the application of qualitative and conceptual analysis, this study proffers several findings. Firstly, US-French diplomatic relations were bound to three underlying concepts: asymmetry, American exceptionalism, and French anti-Americanism. These underlined the relationship that John Adams and his counterpart, the French foreign minister, the Comte de Vergennes were to have. Secondly, contrary to regnant historiography, John Adams was not a failed diplomat. This idea can be shown to be derived from a character assassination plotted and conducted by the Comte de Vergennes, abetted by his minister in the US, the Chevalier de La Luzerne and some allies in Congress. Thirdly, the accusation of vanity, supposedly originating with Benjamin Franklin and prolonged by Alexander Hamilton, came from the same persons and through the same process. Fourthly, Adams’s observations on the United States and France during his service as a diplomat brought him to redefine some of his political thought to conclude that the aristocracy was an intrinsic part of politics and society. This thesis corrects the historical narrative: contrary to popular beliefs about John Adams, France had made him a skilled diplomat and observer of American and French politics and diplomacy and had prepared him for his role as president-diplomat. |
Type: | Thesis or Dissertation |
URI: | http://hdl.handle.net/1893/35939 |
File | Description | Size | Format | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Philippe Maron 2232427 PhD Thesis.pdf | 2.44 MB | Adobe PDF | Under Embargo until 2027-05-01 Request a copy |
Note: If any of the files in this item are currently embargoed, you can request a copy directly from the author by clicking the padlock icon above. However, this facility is dependent on the depositor still being contactable at their original email address.
This item is protected by original copyright |
Items in the Repository are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.
The metadata of the records in the Repository are available under the CC0 public domain dedication: No Rights Reserved https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/
If you believe that any material held in STORRE infringes copyright, please contact library@stir.ac.uk providing details and we will remove the Work from public display in STORRE and investigate your claim.