Lessons in History: A Guide to Thomas Jefferson’s Time in Paris

(18 reviews)

Paris audio tour: Lessons in History: A Guide to Thomas Jefferson’s Time in Paris

This is a 2.3mi walking tour

It takes an average of 75 mins to complete.

Paris

France

Free

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About the Tour

Thomas Jefferson’s experience in the American Revolution was invaluable in pre-revolutionary France. While serving as American minister to France from 1784 to 1789, he became a cherished advisor to the French leaders who were trying to build a new nation.

This walking tour guides you through the Paris that Jefferson knew, taking you to the places he visited and showing you the pre-revolutionary city through his eyes.

The tour starts in front of the Statue of Thomas Jefferson near the Musée d’Orsay, and ends in front of the former residence of Abbé Grégoire, who led the fight for the abolition of slavery. Along the way, you walk through Saint Germain-des-Près, a fashionable part of the city where an ancient abbey once stood. You’ll hear how Jefferson arrived in Paris somewhat reluctantly with his eldest daughter and a young enslaved man, and quickly became enamored by everything it offered, from food and wine, to art, science, and architecture.

Jefferson wrote to a friend, shortly before he left in September 1789: “My fortune has been singular, to see in the course of fourteen years two such revolutions as were never before seen.”

Along the way, you’ll also have an opportunity to:

Hear about the dramatic developments in the months leading up to July 1789, and the attack on the Bastille
Get details of what Jefferson saw, and how he optimistically reported back to Washington
Pass by Le Procope, a café where Jefferson dined with revolutionaries and philosophers
Learn about Jefferson’s frequent meetings with the Marquis de La Fayette who was writing The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, a bill of rights modeled closely on the American Declaration of Independence
Take in the Odéon Theatre, where he saw Beaumarchais’ The Marriage of Figaro
See Hôtel de Salm, whose architecture Jefferson admitted to being “violently smitten” with, and which inspired his own mansion at Monticello
Stop in front of Luxembourg Palace and hear about the early events of the French Revolution in Jefferson’s words
Take in Hôtel de Villette and Hôtel d’York, former gathering places for revolutionaries

This 75-minute tour was created by the DAR’s Rochambeau Chapter (France) in anticipation of the upcoming 250th anniversary of the American Revolution. If you can’t get to Paris, you can still enjoy listening at home in virtual mode.

Tour Producer

Rochambeau Chapter DAR

4 tours

The Paris-based chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution designed this tour for everyone interested in Revolutionary-era history. Historian and chapter member Ellen Hampton wrote the text. Benjamin Franklin's voice is performed by Mark Primmer, of the Benjamin Franklin VFW Post 605, Paris; the Marquis de La Fayette's voice is that of Claude Urraca, former journalist (and husband of Ellen Hampton), and the former dean of The American Cathedral in Paris, the Very Rev. Zachary Fleetwood, lends his native Virginia accent to the voice of Thomas Jefferson. Yorick de Guichen, of the Society of the Cincinnati, provided the French version of the Benjamin Franklin tour.

FR:
Le chapitre français des Filles de la Révolution américaine a conçu cette visite pour toutes celles
et ceux qui s'intéressent à l'histoire de l'époque révolutionnaire américaine (et française) à Paris. Le texte est rédigé par Ellen Hampton, historienne et membre du chapitre. La voix de Benjamin Franklin est interprétée par Mark Primmer, du poste Benjamin Franklin VFW 605 à Paris ; la voix du marquis de La Fayette est celle de Claude Urraca, ancien journaliste (et époux d'Ellen Hampton), et l'ancien doyen de la Cathédrale américaine à Paris, le Très Révérend Zachary Fleetwood, prête son accent natif de Virginie à la voix de Thomas Jefferson. Yorick de Guichen, de la Société des Cincinnati, a réalisé la version française de la visite de Benjamin Franklin.

Preview Location

Location 7

Hôtel d'York, Hôtel d'Hambourg

As you walk, the Hôtel d’York, on your left at no. 56, rue Jacob, site of the treaty signing, was the residence of the British minister, David Hartley.

Benjamin Franklin, John Adams and John Jay had the honor of signing the treaty for us. Besides recognizing the independen... As you walk, the Hôtel d’York, on your left at no. 56, rue Jacob, site of the treaty signing, was the residence of the British minister, David Hartley.

Benjamin Franklin, John Adams and John Jay had the honor of signing the treaty for us. Besides recognizing the independence of the United States, the treaty offered fishing rights off the coast of Canada and pushed the western border to the Mississippi River, though other borders were left undefined. Later, as American minister to France, I met with British diplomats here quite often.

Just down the street at no. 52 is the old Hôtel d’Hambourg, at the time a popular inn for travelers, and both Silas Deane and Benjamin Franklin stayed here at different times. Dr. Franklin then settled into an estate in Passy, on the western edge of Paris, for most of his stay here.

Silas Deane was the first American diplomat sent to France in 1776, on the then-secret mission to gain the support of the French for the American cause. Franklin joined him in December, and Deane, whose personality did not seem suited to the job, was recalled by the Continental Congress.

Continue walking up the rue Jacob.

This street has had its share of famous residents. A little further along, the Hotel d'Angleterre was also once part of the British ambassador's residence. In 1921, it was the first Paris home of writer Ernest Hemingway and his wife. At no. 20 was an artists’ atelier used by Eugène Delacroix, painter of Liberty Leading the People, a stirringly popular revolutionary allegory now at the Louvre. At no. 14, the composer Richard Wagner spent a winter, and you can see some ancient handiwork on the façade of no. 7, which was designed in the late 17th century by architect Charles Chamois.

The original American commissioners had spent a great deal of time on diplomatic relations, but by the time I was minister, commercial issues required most of my attention. American exporters were sending tobacco and whale oil – the kind used in city lamps – to France and hoped to expand the market. Britain had dominated the very lucrative whale oil markets with royal subsidies. In 1788, I wrote a pamphlet, Observations on the Whale-Fishery, which was distributed in small numbers to the decision-makers of market regulation. It seemed to have results: Americans were exempted from the French import tax, and the Nantucket's business boomed.

As for tobacco, we had been growing it in America since the native farmers showed us how in the early 17th century. Europe became an important market for it, but France’s king had given a monopoly on import taxes to his Farmers General customs franchise. I wrote to the foreign minister, the Comte de Vergennes, in 1785 to ask him to lift the monopoly in order to stimulate trade. “In truth, no two countries are better calculated for the exchanges of commerce,” I wrote. “France wants rice, tobacco, potash, furs, ship-timber. We want wines, brandies, oils and manufactures. There is an affection too between the two people which disposes them to favour one another.”

Nonetheless, the king was persuaded by his ministers to refuse. I must say his financial situation was becoming quite precarious. Some have blamed the French support for the Americans for emptying the royal treasury, and while it certainly contributed, there were many other factors. The tax structure, in which large landowners and wealthy nobles were exempted from paying taxes, was the first place to look. Reformers tried again and again, but the subject was politically explosive for years before 1789.

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Major Landmarks

Statue de Thomas Jefferson
Hotel Salm
Musée d'Orsay
Hôtel de Villette
Hôtel d'York
Le Procope
Odéon Theatre
Luxembourg Palace
Musée du Luxembourg

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Getting There

Route Overview

VoiceMap tours follow a route from a set starting point. It’s how we give turn-by-turn directions and tell a story greater than the sum of its parts.

Start location
Statue de Thomas Jefferson, Rue de Solferino, 75007 Paris, France
Total distance

4km
Final location
33 Rue de l'Abbé Grégoire, 75006 Paris, France
Distance back to start location

1km

Directions to Starting Point

Metro stop Solferino on Line 12 or the RER C Musée d'Orsay stop will get you to the starting point. Another route would be to walk across the Passerelle Léopold Senghor, a footbridge crossing the Seine at the Tuileries Gardens.

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Tips

Places to stop along the way

The route is full of great cafés and tempting boutiques! Le Raspail, on the corner of boulevard Raspail and rue du Cherche-Midi, is a good place to have a drink at the end of the tour.

Best time of day

Anytime is fine. Note that there is a food market in the middle of Boulevard Raspail on Tuesdays and Fridays from 7 am to 2:30 pm and again on Sundays from 9 a m to 3 pm.

Precautions

Wear comfortable walking shoes and a hat in summer or a jacket in winter.

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