The 1790s began with one of the most jarring and influential political events in modern history: the French Revolution. When the revolutionaries took the Bastille in 1789, radical and conservative thinkers in England and America reacted in writing, speech, and action. What was especially unique about these new political conversations was the intimacy of nearly all its members. The most important political and conservative thinkers of the time, if they were not close friends, at least traveled in the same circles. This unusual intimacy resulted in a coherent conversation, one in which nearly every new publication or speech was a response or reference to a previous one.

The following pages contain summaries of some of the most influential political books, pamphlets, letters, and speeches published in 1790s England and America. In addition to providing these individual summaries, the pages also try to capture the overall structure of the debates and characters involved.

Works of Thomas Paine

Works of Paine's Critics and Followers

Critical and Biographical Information

Additionally, for more information on conservatism in the 1790s, see the project on Loyalists.