Join the Robert H. Smith International Center for Jefferson Studies at Monticello for a virtual Fellow's Forum with Laurent Zecchini, journalist and independent scholar.

How does one explain the unflagging Francomania of Thomas Jefferson when he left so few traces in France? He lived in Paris for five years as Minister Plenipotentiary of the United States on the eve of the French Revolution; he was the principal author of the Declaration of Independence, which deeply inspired the French Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen, the first version of which was presented by the Marquis de Lafayette on July 11, 1789; he was vice president during the Quasi War of 179701800, the maritime conflict with France that provided the occasion for the United States to acquire a Navy, an important step for its destiny as a superpower; and he acquired the Louisiana Territory from Napoleon, doubling the size of the United States. And still, he is almost unknown in France. Laurent Zecchini’s forthcoming biography of Thomas Jefferson seeks to shed light on Franco-American relations and examine the complex relationship between America’s third president and France. 

About the Speaker

Born in Paris, France, Laurent Zecchini has been a journalist for more than 40 years, including 35 years for the French newspaper, Le Monde. He specializes in international affairs and previously spent more than 20 years abroad as a permanent correspondent in New Delhi, London, Washington, Brussels, Jerusalem, and more. After teaching journalism at SciencesPo (the Paris School of International Affairs), he published Lafayette(2019), which won the Le Nouveau Cercle de l’Union book award.