Prasa amerykańska wobec Konstytucji 3 maja
Constitution of 3rd May 1791 in the American press of the times

Summary/Abstract: The paper investigates the ways the American press of the times portrayed the Constitution of 3rd May 1791. 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. The Governance Act was valid from the date it was issued, May 3rd 1791, until June 17th, 1793, when the last Sejm, the one which acknowledged the second partition of Poland, was held. 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 simplifi ed and idealized its meaning. In the Polish historical and legal literature, the Constitution is regarded as a document of the era in which it was created, focusing on the one hand on introducing minor changes to the social system, and on the other – on much larger reforms in the organization of state power. The authors emphasize that the provisions of this basic law express a clash of different views, both related to the still prevailing feudal relations and the formation of new social and economic conditions. It shows not only the political currents of the time and the postulates of reformist parties, but also the views of the noble masses, who did not agree to too far-reaching system reforms.

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