France and the United States: A Comparative Question

In Chapter 3, Lynn Hunt makes the brief comparison between the evolution of rights evident in France and the 13 British Colonies in North America.  She asserts that the colonies adopted “particularistic and universalistic” attitudes towards rights during its separation phase from Great Britain, in contrast to France’s almost entirely universalistic view.

I walked away from the readings with two particular questions. Were the U.S’s immediate adoption of some particularistic views on rights impact the long-term development of rights in the colonies?  And did France’s position on the European continent contribute to its development of rights?  I mean to say that France achieved a great deal in the advancement of human rights directly after the Declaration of the Rights of Man.  Protestants, Jews, and in 1792 freed blacks all gained the right to vote in the new French Republic.  Similarly, on February 4th, 1794, slavery was abolished as well, and former slaves were given (political rights).  This contrasts greatly with the United States, where slavery continued for over over 80 more years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence.  And while religious minorities were given the right to vote, they often found themselves under the constraint of a Christian-leaning governmental structures, such as laws demanding religious-inspired behavior.

I wonder to what extent British/colonial tradition and geography influenced the development of the US as opposed to France.  Did the U.S’s position in the new world, estranged from other European powers and isolated by the Atlantic stymie the flow of ideas about rights post Declaration of Independence? I would like to discuss this in class.