Jacques-Pierre Brissot de Warville was a French revolutionary and abolitionist. In 1788, he founded an anti-slavery society known the 'Society of the Friends of the Blacks' (Société des amis des Noirs) with the goal of abolishing slavery throughout the French colonial empire and ending France’s involvement in the Atlantic slave trade.

Between 1788 and 1789, Brissot travelled to the United States of America to speak to abolitionists in the country who were advocating for the end of slavery to be included in the new nation’s constitution. Brissot was inspired by his time in America and considered emigrating to the country. In 1791, he published this account of his travels. By this time, Brissot had become involved in the French Revolution as a prominent member of the Girondin faction and used this book to argue that American ideals could be put to good use in the new French republic.