The Original Credentials for the Last U.S. Representative to France’s Monarchy, and First to Its Fledgling Republic, Signed by George Washington and Thomas Jefferson
It appoints Gouvernor Morris, Signer of the U.S. Constitution and author of its Preamble, to the high office of Ambassador to France
A document of great national importance, Morris was the only foreign representative who was presented to the Court of Louis XVI, saw the violent transition of power initiated by the French Revolution, and also the rise of Napoleon, and remained in his post throughout the worst days of the Terror
A...
A document of great national importance, Morris was the only foreign representative who was presented to the Court of Louis XVI, saw the violent transition of power initiated by the French Revolution, and also the rise of Napoleon, and remained in his post throughout the worst days of the Terror
A rare piece connecting George Washington, who fought with the French to earn independence, Thomas Jefferson, who served as US Minister to France, and Gouvernor Morris, the American who was eyewitness to the great revolutionary events in France
In 1780 General George Washington eagerly anticipated the active intervention of the French, and their hoped-for imminent arrival. Their help would be needed to defeat the British. Washington planned a joint Franco-American late-summer campaign against British-held New York, and in expectation of his ally’s arrival set about making sure that all of his preparations were complete. On July 11 came the momentous news: the French had been sighted in American waters. In 1781, Washington’s vision of the Franco-American juggernaut finally took shape. By September 28, the combined armies with the French fleet – some 16,000 troops – had arrived in Virginia, where the army set up camp outside the British defenses at Yorktown. The French fleet blockaded the port so the British could not leave nor receive reinforcements. Just three weeks later, the seige of Yorktown ended with the complete surrender of the British. As a result of this catastrophe to their arms, Britain sued for peace; the war was over. So Washington’s dream, the one we can virtually feel in this letter – that the arrival of the French would make the difference and secure American independence – became a reality.
The history of modern France continued to be tied into American history. Frenchmen who had fought on the American side in the Revolution brought back news of the victory of democracy. And discontent in France was brewing, as so many were impoverished, while the nobility and monarchy lived lavishly. In 1789, the dream of a republican France took hold with the storming of the Bastille. The first meeting in centuries of the Estates General brought the competing interests of the French populace into direct contact, empowering the lower strata of French society and driving fear into neighboring monarchies. That year saw the “Declaration of the Rights of Man” and Louis XVI effectively taken home prisoner in Paris. His later attempt to flee was unsuccessful and a new Constitution came into effect in 1791. Yet Louis held tenuously to power. The Spring of 1792 saw a declaration of war by Prussia against France and a French declaration against Austria. Yet in April of 1792, Louis xvi still held titular power.
The appointment of a new ambassador to France in 1792 would one of the most important diplomatic appointments the President could bestow. This minister would assume a position held previously by Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and John Adams.
Gouverneur Morris was a signatory to the Articles of Confederation and the United States Constitution. He wrote the Constitution’s Preamble and has been called the “Penman of the Constitution.” He had spent time in France and was trusted by Washington and Jefferson for this crucial mission.
Document signed, by George Washington as President and Thomas Jefferson as Secretary of State, Philadelphia, January 12, 1792, on vellum, appointing Governor Morris “Minister Plenipotentiary for the United States of America at the Court of his most Christian Majesty.”
Morris was in London at the time of his appointment as Ambassador to France, and received this very commission in mid-April, leaving for Paris on April 27, 1792. He was the only foreign representative who remained in his post from the time of the Ancien Régime throughout the worst days of the Reign of Terror. His depictions of the tumult during the change in power are one of the more valuable first hand accounts we have. He was present for the storming of the Tuileries Palace and the end of Louis XVI’s reign and reported back to President Washington on the beheading of King Louis XVI.
Morris remained as Ambassador for 2 years, meaning he represented American interests during both the monarchy and the fledgling republic, a remarkable change in governance the world has scarcely witnessed since at such a large and violent scale. He was also in his post when Napoleon raised the siege of Toulon in 1793, the act that brought him to power.
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