Count de Vergennes Character Analysis in Lafayette in the Somewhat United States

As the French foreign minister during the lead-up to the American Revolution, Vergennes was the single most important figure when it came to securing French aid for the Patriots. Vowell argues that in the overall narrative of American independence, Vergennes should be viewed as just as essential as Thomas Jefferson. Over the course of the war, Vergennes worked closely (and often in secret) with Benjamin Franklin, Silas Deane, and Lafayette himself.

Count de Vergennes Quotes in Lafayette in the Somewhat United States

The Lafayette in the Somewhat United States quotes below are all either spoken by Count de Vergennes or refer to Count de Vergennes . For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:

Democracy, Disagreement, and Compromise Theme Icon

Because these words convinced Louis XVI to open his heart and, more important, his wallet to the patriots, Vergennes’s memo arguably had as much practical effect on the establishment of American independence as the Declaration of Independence itself. Jefferson’s pretty phrases were incomplete without the punctuation of French gunpowder.

Related Characters: Sarah Vowell (speaker), Thomas Jefferson , King Louis XVI , Count de Vergennes

Page Number and Citation: 50

Explanation and Analysis:

Count de Vergennes Character Timeline in Lafayette in the Somewhat United States

The timeline below shows where the character Count de Vergennes appears in Lafayette in the Somewhat United States. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...the French hatred for the British—best embodied by the French foreign minister, the Count de Vergennes—was so deep that the French got involved anyway. Vergennes hired Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais, a... (full context)

Before Vergennes committed to involving France in the war, however, he sent a fact-finder to America with... (full context)

...would be no more Patriot compromises. So, by the time he returned home to France, Vergennes’s fact-finder could report that Americans were dead set on going to war. In fact, they... (full context)

In a letter to Louis XVI, Vergennes suggested that the French should send secret aid to the Patriots, so as to avoid... (full context)

With Beaumarchais’s help, Vergennes created a plan to secretly send aid to the Americans, through Silas Deane. Even as... (full context)

...Adrienne pregnant again (with a son he later named George Washington Lafayette). He also nagged Vergennes to send more French weapons and soldiers across the Atlantic. (full context)

...France to persuade Franklin to ask for further French reinforcements. Franklin expressed Washington’s anxiety to Vergennes, and Vergennes contributed 6 million more French lives to the Patriot cause (of the 25... (full context)

...sick of going back and forth. Lafayette wrote what Vowell labels a “melodramatic” letter to Vergennes, begging for money. Vergennes promised to send some, and he also told Lafayette that the... (full context)

...the Franco-American Treaty of Alliance. Upon learning of this breach of trust from Ben Franklin, Vergennes fretted that “we shall be but poorly paid for all that we have done for... (full context)