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9780807174302

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Almost from the moment America won its independence, French attitudes toward the U.S. have fluctuated between hope and disappointment, envy and resentment. In the 19th century, no sector of French opinion registered these swings more faithfully than the engaged left. In expertly mapping the sudden shifts of left-leaning opinion from the 1848 Revolution through the Second Empire, Tom Sancton tosses in an extra bonus for the general reader--a smart and lucid guide to the forked road of French politics during these confusing years. This is a very fine book.--Lawrence Powell, Tulane University, author of The Accidental City: Improvising New Orleans A remarkable book which will be of considerable interest to historians of both 19th France and America....In 1848, the French left thought of the USA as a sister republic. In the 1850's, French leftists saw it as a crudely materialist, slave society which reminded them of the France of Napoleon le petit. Lincoln's death in 1865, and the Paris Commune of 1871, changed all that, but not for long...The chapters I most enjoyed dealt with French and British working-class views of the American Confederacy. The book is very well written and is something of a page turner. Sancton's account of the Trent episode in 1861 makes for a very good read.--Patrice Higonnet, Harvard University, author of Sister Republics: The Origins of French and American Republicanism History and politics don't respect national borders, which is why American historians and believers in American exceptionalism both need to read this book. In Sweet Land of Liberty, Tom Sancton offers a compelling argument that 19th-century American politics and ideologies make better sense in the context of larger political currents swirling around the Atlantic World. But he also offers a timely case study in how political activists can selectively perceive ... a foreign power in the light of [their] own [national] culture and ideology. The narrow focus in this briskly-written book is French politics in the decades around the American Civil War; the big picture continues to be the fate of liberty and democracy in modern societies.--Philip M. Katz, author of From Appomattox to Montmartre: Americans and the Paris Commune

"Almost from the moment America won its independence, French attitudes toward the U.S. have fluctuated between hope and disappointment, envy and resentment. In the 19th century, no sector of French opinion registered these swings more faithfully than the engaged left. In expertly mapping the sudden shifts of left-leaning opinion from the 1848 Revolution through the Second Empire, Tom Sancton tosses in an extra bonus for the general reader--a smart and lucid guide to the forked road of French politics during these confusing years. This is a very fine book.--Lawrence Powell, Tulane University, author of ""The Accidental City: Improvising New Orleans"" A remarkable book which will be of considerable interest to historians of both 19th France and America....In 1848, the French left thought of the USA as a sister republic. In the 1850's, French leftists saw it as a crudely materialist, slave society which reminded them of the France of Napoléon le petit. Lincoln's death in 1865, and the Paris Commune of 1871, changed all that, but not for long...The chapters I most enjoyed dealt with French and British working-class views of the American Confederacy. The book is very well written and is something of a page turner. Sancton's account of the Trent episode in 1861 makes for a very good read.--Patrice Higonnet, Harvard University, author of ""Sister Republics: The Origins of French and American Republicanism"" History and politics don't respect national borders, which is why American historians and believers in ""American exceptionalism"" both need to read this book. In Sweet Land of Liberty, Tom Sancton offers a compelling argument that 19th-century American politics and ideologies make better sense in the context of larger political currents swirling around the Atlantic World. But he also offers a timely case study in how political activists can selectively ""perceive ... a foreign power in the light of [their] own [national] culture and ideology."" The narrow focus in this briskly-written book is French politics in the decades around the American Civil War; the big picture continues to be the fate of liberty and democracy in modern societies.--Philip M. Katz, author of ""From Appomattox to Montmartre: Americans and the Paris Commune"""

Almost from the moment America won its independence, French attitudes toward the U.S. have fluctuated between hope and disappointment, envy and resentment. In the 19th century, no sector of French opinion registered these swings more faithfully than the engaged left. In expertly mapping the sudden shifts of left-leaning opinion from the 1848 Revolution through the Second Empire, Tom Sancton tosses in an extra bonus for the general reader--a smart and lucid guide to the forked road of French politics during these confusing years. This is a very fine book.--Lawrence Powell, Tulane University, author of The Accidental City: Improvising New Orleans A remarkable book which will be of considerable interest to historians of both 19th France and America....In 1848, the French left thought of the USA as a sister republic. In the 1850's, French leftists saw it as a crudely materialist, slave society which reminded them of the France of Napoleon le petit. Lincoln's death in 1865, and the Paris Commune of 1871, changed all that, but not for long...The chapters I most enjoyed dealt with French and British working-class views of the American Confederacy. The book is very well written and is something of a page turner. Sancton's account of the Trent episode in 1861 makes for a very good read.--Patrice Higonnet, Harvard University, author of Sister Republics: The Origins of French and American Republicanism History and politics don't respect national borders, which is why American historians and believers in American exceptionalism both need to read this book. In Sweet Land of Liberty, Tom Sancton offers a compelling argument that 19th-century American politics and ideologies make better sense in the context of larger political currents swirling around the Atlantic World. But he also offers a timely case study in how political activists can selectively perceive ... a foreign power in the light of [their] own [national] culture and ideology. The narrow focus in this briskly-written book is French politics in the decades around the American Civil War; the big picture continues to be the fate of liberty and democracy in modern societies.--Philip M. Katz, author of From Appomattox to Montmartre: Americans and the Paris Commune

Author Information

Tom Sancton, former Paris bureau chief for Time magazine, holds a doctorate in history from Oxford University and is the author of numerous books. He is currently a research professor at Tulane University.

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