Old and New Republics: Diplomatic Relations between the Republic of Genoa and the United States of America

This chapter continues to explore the efforts of American consuls in the Mediterranean, and focuses on the diplomatic relationship between the United States and the Republic of Genoa in the late-eighteenth and early-nineteenth centuries. It charts the diplomatic efforts of Giuseppe Ravara during the 1790s, through to American-born consul Peter Kuhn Jr in 1805, tracing the successes and difficulties made by consuls in Genoa as the trade network with America increased in scope. It concludes that trade between Genoa and America grew rapidly between 1790 and 1820 in large part due to the efforts of the consuls, and that before being annexed by the Kingdom of Sardinia, Genoa profited economically from a special trade relationship with America.