Journey Through the American States. The Physical Scene. Summary and Analysis

Bowen breaks from the Convention and turns to a description of the United States as it is seen through contemporary foreign eyes. Several French and English visitors come to the US in the 1780s and 1790s. Many keep diaries and write letters about what they observe.

For the most part, the visitors are enamored of the new country and produce a romantic vision of it. Native Americans are celebrated by the Europeans for example, at a time when the prevailing American view is that the Indians are dangerous and should be exterminated. Other foreign views are equally out of step. Some foreign books on America are even written by people who have never been there.

Lured by the fantastic stories, some Europeans are probably very surprised at...