John Crevecoeur's Letters From An American Farmer
Joyce Mosery
John D. Crevecoeur was a French nobleman who lived in New York and Pennsylvania during the 17060’s and 70’s. “Letters from an American Farmer” is a document written by Crevecoeur discussing his discovery of a new kind of person, known as “the American.” He expands on the idea of the American by their stating distinct qualities, and how those qualities came to be. Let us not be mislead by Crevecoeur’s use of the word “American.” The group of people that inhabited the American soil at the time were new to the land, originally hailing from Europe. According to Crevecoeur, the fact that they were European says quite a bit about them, in that they possessed wisdom in cultural areas such as “arts, science, vigor, and industry.” Many of them had sought a new start in the American land. The Americans were “tillers of the earth.” They lived an egalitarian farmers lifestyle, where everyone worked for themselves on their own land. The fact that they owned land meant that they were free of Europe’s harsh social stratification systems that had restrained them from acquiring a stable sense of self. In Europe the Americans, coming from a lower class in society, were …show more content…
He portrays the German in a high manner, describing them as honest and “wiser than almost all other Europeans,” as well as more successful that other European groups. He also states that German wives are hard workers, often doing similar if not equal work as the husband. The Irish, as described by Crevecoeur are unsuccessful, lazy, violent, and show a great love for alcohol. The Irish are also described as less equipped to work land. The Scotch are “all” portrayed as diligent and hardworking, and likely to succeed in working land, though their wives do not do much work. The Irish are also described as “frugal,” being largely concerned with the sparing of money or
John D. Crevecoeur was a French nobleman who lived in New York and Pennsylvania during the 17060’s and 70’s. “Letters from an American Farmer” is a document written by Crevecoeur discussing his discovery of a new kind of person, known as “the American.” He expands on the idea of the American by their stating distinct qualities, and how those qualities came to be. Let us not be mislead by Crevecoeur’s use of the word “American.” The group of people that inhabited the American soil at the time were new to the land, originally hailing from Europe. According to Crevecoeur, the fact that they were European says quite a bit about them, in that they possessed wisdom in cultural areas such as “arts, science, vigor, and industry.” Many of them had sought a new start in the American land. The Americans were “tillers of the earth.” They lived an egalitarian farmers lifestyle, where everyone worked for themselves on their own land. The fact that they owned land meant that they were free of Europe’s harsh social stratification systems that had restrained them from acquiring a stable sense of self. In Europe the Americans, coming from a lower class in society, were …show more content…
He portrays the German in a high manner, describing them as honest and “wiser than almost all other Europeans,” as well as more successful that other European groups. He also states that German wives are hard workers, often doing similar if not equal work as the husband. The Irish, as described by Crevecoeur are unsuccessful, lazy, violent, and show a great love for alcohol. The Irish are also described as less equipped to work land. The Scotch are “all” portrayed as diligent and hardworking, and likely to succeed in working land, though their wives do not do much work. The Irish are also described as “frugal,” being largely concerned with the sparing of money or