The Perception of the Constitution of 3 May 1791 in the Contemporaneous American Press
The Perception of the Constitution of 3 May 1791 in the Contemporaneous American Press

Summary/Abstract: The paper investigates the ways the American press of the times portrayed the Constitution of 3 May 1791. The Governance Act was valid from the date it was issued, May 3, 1791, until June 17, 1793, when the last Sejm, the one which acknowledged the second partition of Poland, was held. Despite the great distance and the limitations imposed by the technological possibilities of the times, the topic was nonetheless widely commented on at the time and positively received. It was much appreciated and enthusiastically welcomed in American press, which understood the Constitution as a natural continuation of the process of democratization. However, the articles depicting the document were rather general and far-fetched in their optimism towards introducing democracy, accusing the Constitution of causing social and political changes in Europe. Analyzing press articles, one may jump into hasty conclusion that the king, Stanislaw August Poniatowski, was a reformer whose main goal was to make all his subjects equal, which was not necessarily true. The Constitution was not thoroughly translated, which simplified and idealized its meaning.

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