Letters from an American Farmer

Letters from an American Farmer is a collection of essays by Michel-Guillaume-Jean de Crèvecoeur, published in 1782. Written under the pseudonym J. Hector St. John, the book offers a detailed and optimistic portrayal of life in colonial America. Crèvecoeur, a French immigrant who became a farmer in New York, describes the experiences of new settlers and explores the concept of the "new man" emerging in America. The work famously addresses the question, "What is an American?" and discusses the development of the American identity, the challenges of frontier life, and the transformation of immigrants into a distinct American people. The essays also touch upon the horrors of the American Revolution and the lives of various groups, including Native Americans and whalers.1