Elizabeth Patterson Bonaparte: "Ill-Suitted for the Life of a Columbians Modest Wife"

Two centuries ago, Elizabeth Patterson Bonaparte (1785–1879) was one of the most famous women in the United States. She had married Napoleon's brother Jerome, borne his child, and seen the marriage annulled by the emperor himself. She was a celebrated figure at a time when much remained unsettled. The Revolution had succeeded, but the shape of U.S. politics and society had not been determined. Americans argued over what their society should look like: how aristocratic or democratic should it be? Gender roles and expectations were also in transition. Elizabeth's imperial connections and her scandalous behavior made her a central figure in these debates, and many American elites regarded her as a threat to the new nation as well as a woman not suited for a republic. In her writing and behavior, Elizabeth offered a different model for American womanhood, thus demonstrating both the contingency of the republican experiment and the active role women took in debates over the nation's culture and society.