Final answer:
J. Hector St. John de Crevecoeur's reference to an American as a 'new man' represents the emergence of an individual shaped by the revolutionary ideals and Enlightenment principles that underpinned the foundation of the United States. This new American was viewed as liberated from the old societal structures, partaking in a society governed by the will of its people.
Step-by-step explanation:
J. Hector St. John de Crevecoeur referred to an American as a new man because in the context of the late eighteenth century, when the United States of America was being established, great intellectual and revolutionary transformations were taking place. The newly formed nation was breaking away from the old European constructs and redefining itself with values of the Enlightenment, such as liberty, equality, and democracy. As a result, the idea of an American represented not just a citizen of a new geopolitical entity, but someone with a novel identity, freed from ancestral ties and class distinctions of the Old World and participating in a society governed by the 'general will' of its people.
Crevecoeur's concept of the 'new man' symbolizes this profound shift. The American Revolution, as well as others in France and Haiti, questioned the established social and political order, leading to bold declarations of human rights and equality. The American experience went a step further, seeking to put into actual practice the theories of philosophers like John Locke, Voltaire, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau, emphasizing the role of the people in government and the separation of powers. Hence, it gave rise to the concept of an American, someone embodying these ideals and actively living them out.