Michel - Guillaume Jean de Crevecoeur (1735 - 1813)

        Michel Guillaume Jean de Crevecoeur was born in Caen, Normandy, France on December 31, 1735.  His Father was French and his Mother was English, which eventually led to numerous citizenships.  At the age of 19, in 1754, Crevecoeur moved to England and lived with his aunts.  Less that one year later, in 1755, and after a transatlantic jaunt, Crevecoeur found himself in the French territory of Canada.  He immediately enlisted in the Colonial Militia as a cadet.  In 1758, he bought a commission as a lieutenant and served in the French – Indian War under the French Commander Marquis de Montcalm.  Crevecoeur’s military career ended in October of 1759 when an injury caused him to sell his commission.  His departure from the French Military also marked his departure from Canada.  Shortly following his decommission (December 16, 1759), Crevecoeur moved to the colony of New York. This relocation set in motion not only the characterization of Crevecoeur by America, but also the characterization of America by Crevecoeur. 
         Crevecoeur adopted the pseudonym, James Hector St. John and took a job as a land surveyer, which allowed him to see the beauty and greatness of America. His citizenship became official on December 23, 1765 when he was naturalized as a citizen of the Colony of New York.  Four years following his naturalization, and also following an extensive tour of the “New World,” Crevecoeur wed Mehitable Tippet, of the Westchester family, in 1769.  Immediately following the marriage, the newlywed couple took up residency on a farm in what is now Chester, New Jersey*.  Shortly thereafter in  1770, the couple had their first child.  America-Frances, their first child and daughter, was given a name that represented the dual heritage of Crevecoeur.  This American family continued to grow,  with the birth of Guillaume-Alexandre 1772  and  the birth of  Phillipe-Louis in 1774. They  gave French names to their two sons representing Crevecoeur’s French beginnings. This  also created one of the many anomalies that are present in the history of the famous immigrant.  Crevecoeur “Americanized” his name in 1759, but eleven years later, he gave his children French names. 
        Crevecoeur raised his children on a farm  in the New York back country, while he became familiar with farming the land. Stemming from Crevecoeur’s new life as a farmer is one of the most monumental pieces of American literature, a piece of literature that defines the “American.”  Letters from an American Farmer, written by Crevecoeur during the American farmer stage of his life, is a collection of letters (essays) that describe early American life. 
.      There are many factors that contribute to the greatness of this piece of literature, one of these aspects is the existent themes throughout the work.  Utopianism, a theme apparent in the previous works of Plato, seems to fit quite comfortably between the lines written by Crevecoeur.  He describes an American as one “who leaving behind him all his ancient prejudices and manners, receives new ones from the new mode of life he has embraced, the new government he obeys, and the new rank he holds.  He has become an American by receiving in the broad lab of our great Alma Mater.  Here individuals of all races are melted into one new race of man, whose labors and prosperity will one day cause great changes in the world” (“Letter III,”).  This description seems to be the description of a “perfect” race and society, and thus entering the utopian theme.    The previous quote is also an example of another theme existent in this work, “What is an American?”  Another remarkable attribute found in the writings of Crevecoeur is the existence of nature. Crevecoeur’s descriptions of nature (especially those that were unique to the American back country) were used as corroboration of his observations.  The use of nature also induced great imagery and emotion (Lawrence 1). Later writers such as Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau utilized this use of nature as a literary device. 
        Letter from an American Farmer  was published in 1782 and was the first volume of three.   The two volumes that remained unpublished at the time in fact described why Crevecoeur left the “Utopia of America.”  These volumes remained unpublished until 1925 when they were published under the title Sketches of Eighteenth Century America:  More Letters from an American Farmer.   The unpublished letters describe the horrors of mosquito seasons, Indian raids, as well as the Revolutionary War.  In 1778, the American Revolutionary Government granted Crevecoeur permission to return to France.  His return was however delayed when he was arrested by the British for charges of treason (1779).   One year later, Crevecoeur left his former utopia and returned to France.   “By his own account . . . the true American Freeholders had been destroyed and replaced by a crowd of hypocritical thugs”(“Second Thoughts”). 
        Crevecoeur however returned to America for a seven year period of time.  During that time, he was appointed as the French Consul in New York City and was elected to the American Philosophical Society.  In 1790, Crevecoeur left America forever, returning to France.  On November 12, 1813, Michel Guillaume Jean de Crevecoeur passed away in Sarcelles, Val d’Oise, France. 

*At the time, Chester New Jersey was known as Orange County, New York 
 

Published in 1782, this  source represents Crevecoeur’s first and foremost piece of literature.  This source offer the reader a glimpse into the writing style of this famous author as well as a glimpse into the lives of Colonial Americans.

This source is actually an ongoing guide to American Literature,  This source provides links to other sources, important links to other sources, important points about the author's works, and extended bibliography, possible study questions, as well as an essay covering the life of Crevecoeur.  This source is up to date and very accurate.

This source describes the contrast between Crevecoeur’s first volume of Letters from an American Farmer and subsequent volumes.  This essay describes why Crevecoeur fells that America "lost its luster."  This source is up to date and provides very useful information on a very shady part of the Crevecoeur’s life. 

This source explores Crevecoeur’s writing style.  This includes his use of nature within his work.  This source however is very critical of the work of Crevecoeur.  Some may feel that the opinions in this essay might detract from the value of the work.  However, this criticism poses many questions that might have otherwise have not been contemplated. 

Major Works

• Letters from an American Farmer 
• Sketches of Eighteenth Century America 
• Journey into Northern Pennsylvania and the State of New York 

Careers

•  Soldier 
•  Surveyor
•  Indian Trader 
•  Farmer

Homes

• France
• England
• Canada
• New York

Family

• Wife: Mehitable Tippet
•     Children:
• America-Frances
• Guilaume-Alexandre
• Phillipe-Louis

Pseudonyms

• Hector St. John
• James Hector St. John
• Crevecoeur
• Michel-Guillaume St. John
• Cahio-Harra
• Frenchy the Pen

Chronology

1735 :  December 31, Born in Caen, Normandy, France 
1754 : Moved to England 
1755 :  Moved to Canada, enlisted in the Colonial Militia 
1755-1759 : Served in the French - Indian War under French commander Marquis de Montcalm 
1765 : December  23, Became a Citizen of the Colony of New York 
1769 : Settled on a farm in Orange County, New York  (presently Chester, New Jersey), Married Mehitable Tippet
1770- First child is born, they named her America-Frances
1772: Second Child is born, he was named Guillame-Alexandre 
1774 : Third Child is born, he was named Philippe-Louis 
1778: Granted by the American  Revolutionary Government  to return  to France 
1779: Arrested by the British in New York City and charged with being a spy. 
1780-1783 : Resided in France 
1783 : Returned to America and became the French Consul in New York City
1785: Returned to France
1787 : July – Elected to the American Philosophical Society 
1790:  Returned to France 
1792: Appointment as Consul is revoked 
1813 : Died in France 

Study Questions

1)  According to Crevecoeur,
define an "American." 

2)  Explain the statement; "America characterized Crevecoeur and Crevecoeur characterized America." 

3)  Name a possible explanation why Crevecoeur skimmed over the issue of slavery - the "peculiar institution." 

4)  Name some examples that corroborate the Utopian theme. 

5)  Throughout the work,  how does Crevecoeur describe religion?