ABSTRACT
Considering the definition given by Andrew Greeley of an ethnic group-"a combination of European cultural background, American acculturation experience, and political, social and economic common interest," -this chapter explores French ethnicity in San Francisco through patriotic celebrations. The first Independence Day celebrations in San Francisco displayed the diversity of its inhabitants. A large banner announced: "The French residents commemorate a century of Liberty". After 1893, the French disappeared from the Fourth of July parades, which became more of a display of American military might. It was also a moment of political realignment, just prior to the advent of what has been called the Fourth Party system, which was characterized by the hegemony of the Republican party. As the representative of the French government, the consul was the major personality in the celebrations, but it took time, after the fall of the Second Empire, for some of diplomats to accept the Republic.
