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St. Jean De Crevecoeur: Letters from an American Farmer

Lesson Transcript

St. Jean de Crevecoeur was a French American writer whose book 'Letters from an American Farmer' discussed
life and society in early America. In this lesson, we'll look closer at 'Letters from an American Farmer' and its
in uence on American literature.

St. Jean de Crevecoeur

What is an American? How do we de ne our culture and national identity? For centuries, Americans
have worked to answer these questions. Perhaps the rst person to try to de ne Americans was
the writer St. Jean de Crevecoeur.

The writer St. Jean de Crevecoeur

Crevecoeur was born in France in 1735 to aristocratic parents. He immigrated to what is now
Canada when he was 20 and worked as a surveyor during the French and Indian War. After the
war, he moved to New York and became a farmer. In the midst of the American Revolution, he
decided to go home to France to see his ailing father. However, he was imprisoned as an American
spy by the British as he tried to leave New York.

In 1780, he was nally allowed to leave America. The following year, he sold the text of his most
famous book, Letters from an American Farmer,
Farmer to a London publisher. The book became the rst
successful book by an American author in Europe.

Letters from an American Farmer

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1/3/2019 St. Jean De Crevecoeur: Letters from an American Farmer - Video & Lesson Transcript | Study.com

Letters from an American Farmer follows a ctional correspondence between an American farmer
named James and an English gentleman. In all, the book contains twelve letters from James to the
gentleman, though none of the gentleman's responses are in the book.

The rst letter is an introductory one, setting up the correspondence for the rest of the book. In the
rst letter, James sets himself up as a country farmer with little education, in contrast to the man
he is writing to, who is well-educated and we can assume is a better writer than James.

The second letter describes in great detail the plants and animals found on the farm where James
is living. The descriptions of the unique American plants and wildlife lead into a discussion of the
di erences in American and European societies.

The third letter is titled What is an American?, and it both asks and answers that question explicitly.
In this letter, James continues the discussion he began in the second letter, where he describes the
physical nature of the country and the society that emerges from it, as well as what the American
national identity is.

Map discussed in several letters in the book

Letters four through eight are often called the Nantucket Sequence or Nantucket Letters. They
describe the Quaker people, society and lifestyle in Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard.

They are followed by the ninth letter, which describes Charleston. In particular, James talks about
the practice of slavery in Charleston and other southern cities and argues for abolition.

The tenth letter describes snakes and hummingbirds on James' farm, and the eleventh letter
discusses new techniques for irrigation.

Finally, the twelfth letter nds James caught between three societies: the British, American
Revolutionaries and Native Americans. As the Revolutionary War becomes more and more certain,
James is caught between allegiances and wonders what the right path of action should be.

Themes and Style

In keeping with the character of James' lack of education, Crevecoeur keeps a simple style. He does
not use large words or owery language. Indeed, though James explores deep philosophical issues
in his letters, he does so with the everyday language of the farmer. Crops and wildlife are discussed
alongside political and philosophical issues, all using the simplest words possible.
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One of the major themes of the book is the idea of how the land shapes humans and society.
Crevecoeur returns time and again to the importance of the land in the growth of human society
and examines the human relationship with the land on both an individual and national level.
According to Crevecoeur, the wilderness of America and the unique challenges of its land are what
shape American society.

Crevecoeur discussed slavery and abolition in his work.

In addition to the simple style and thematic focus on the environment, Crevecoeur demonstrates
the disillusionment of James in the book. The rst letters are optimistic, full of joy and wonder at
the farm and the New World. However, the tone of the book declines as the letters progress.
Particularly in letter nine, where he discusses slavery, the character of James comes across as
disillusioned in America and upset at the course it is taking.

As James descends into disillusionment, Crevecoeur uses both his early exuberance and later
decline to de ne what it means to be American. Far beyond the land and the descriptions of
society in the years leading up to the Revolutionary War, Crevecoeur's book becomes a comment
on Americanism.

Lesson Summary
St. Jean de Crevecoeur was a French aristocrat who moved to America in the 1700s and became a
farmer. He wrote a ctional collection of letters from an American farmer, James, to an English
gentleman. In these letters, Crevecoeur describes life in the years leading up to the Revolutionary
War and explores what makes America unique and what it means to be American.

Learning Outcomes
After this lesson, you'll be able to:

Discuss why St. Jean de Crevecoeur published Letters from an American Farmer

Describe the book's impact on America before the Revolutionary War

Summarize the book's content, themes and style

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