The ideas of the American and French Revolutions spring both from Enlightenment thought in Europe — the ideas of famous philosophers like Locke, Rousseau, and Montesquieu. It’s not necessarily a question of “who did it first,” but rather one of impact and reach, since they had a similar origin. I would argue that this has to do with the more radical nature of the French Revolution and the vigorous efforts to spread it, as well as the wide-reaching impact it had on Europe. The American Revolution simply did not have as great an impact on European life, while the French Revolution did — and not just on Europe. I apologize in advance for not addressing the development of this trend; perhaps someone more familiar with the historiography of that issue is better equipped to explain that.

There is an important difference between a war of independence, like the American Revolution, and a national revolt, like the French Revolution. Independence movements and wars were not unfamiliar to Europeans, see, for example, Sweden, or the Low Countries. However, successful open revolts against the monarchy are, much less ones which result in the execution of that monarch.

It is important to keep in mind that the American Revolution began as a dispute over rights and representation, not as a systemic overthrow of the government and social order. American revolutionaries initially were fighting for their rights as Englishmen — to representation in Parliament, and the movement itself was supported by the landed elites and merchants. While it did eventually establish a republic, this was far from a given at the opening of the revolution. And ultimately, the spread of the ideas of the American Revolution was not particularly large — many of its ideas existed in Europe before, and it failed in its attempt to force Quebec to join the movement.

On the other hand, the French Revolution inspired incredible zeal and quickly led to the overthrow of the governments of the surrounding states, as well as the obvious shock of the execution of a reigning monarch. The French armies were able to overthrow the governments in the Dutch Republic and Switzerland, unite states in Italy, and successfully and simultaneously challenge the great powers of Europe. During the republican period, French armies also invaded Egypt, leading to major changes in the Ottoman Empire, and during Napoleon’s rule dismantled the Holy Roman Empire, which had dominated Central Europe for centuries before. The ideals espoused by the early French Revolution majorly influenced the Haitian War of Independence, and the Napoleonic conquest of Spain was an important cause of breakup of the Spanish Empire in America. In contrast, the American Revolution achieved the independence of important (solely British) colonies, and little else. France failed to make inroads in India, Spain failed to regain Gibraltar (though did take Florida), and the Dutch Republic saw massive commercial hardship. Changes, certainly, but not necessarily at the systemic level of the French Revolution.

Furthermore, the wars of the French Revolution and the subsequent Napoleonic wars spread the Revolution’s innovations far beyond the borders of France, particularly in law, and would influence later reform movements, like the Ottoman Tanzimat. While later countries would model their governments on that of the United States, it is disputable how closely those decisions are related to the American Revolution itself (remember, the revolutionary United States were governed under the Articles of Confederation, not the current Constitution).

We can also look to the aftermath of these events and the responses to them as a measure of their impact at the time. The American Revolution had little influence on contemporary international relations, while the French Revolutionary Wars and Napoleonic Wars led to a massive reactionary effort by European powers to oppose its ideas, and established military alliances for that specific purpose. There was no such concerted response to the American Revolution.