Men and Manners in America

Throughout Men and Manners in America, Thomas Hamilton (1789-1842) describes with scathing honesty, and a sometimes sarcastic wit, the political and social structures of the newly independent United States. Hamilton journeyed to America in 1830, determined to write a conclusive and impartial account of its democracy. On his return, however, he was desperately aware that this impartiality had produced writings with the potential to deeply offend. His book was published almost a year later (1833) when Hamilton finally felt duty-bound to speak the truth. Volume 2 describes Hamilton’s experiences in Washington, New Orleans, Charleston, Niagara, and Quebec, continuing his exploration of their political circumstances and elaborating on matters including climate and religion. Hamilton concludes with a vindication of his austere observations as the duty of one who is attempting to address ‘fallacies affecting the welfare of a community’, and invites any American visiting England to offer a similar critique.