comparing the american and french revolutions. american - government not a country not a country...
TRANSCRIPT
Comparing the American and French Revolutions
American - Government Not a country
British colony British Governor
England Monarch
George III Parliamentary Rule
Colonies had the right to assemble Continental
Congress
American - Reasons
England Wanted a return on
their investment Needed America’s
raw materials Needed America’s
cash (taxes)
Colonies Enlightenment
ideas Wanted equality
before the law Wanted more power
to rule and make their own decisions
American - People
Social Divisions More by job than
class Education
Independent Minded
Used to self government
American – Events
British passed a series of new taxes on the colonies Sugar, Stamp,
Townsend, Tea and others
Quartering Act Boston Massacre Boston Tea Party Common Sense
American RevolutionDeclaration of Independence
On July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress adopted “The Unanimous Declaration of the Thirteen United States of America”
American RevolutionThe Constitution
In 1787, Americans drafted the Constitution of the United States which created a federal government based on popular sovereignty
French - Government
Absolute Monarchy Louis XVI
Before After
French - Reasons
Economic Low wages High taxes Inflation
Enlightenment Ideals Philosophes
Monarchy’s lavish spending
French - People
Social Order 1st Estate
(Aristocracy) 2nd Estate
(Clergy) 3rd Estate
(Everybody else)
97% of the population
French - Events
Heavy taxes on the 3rd Estate
Tennis Court Oath National Assembly Storming the
Bastille
French Revolution: Declaration
In 1789, the National Assembly issued the Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen Influenced by the Declaration of
Independence Proclaimed the equality of all men Declared that sovereignty resided in the
people Asserted individual rights to:
Liberty Prosperity Security
Reforms of the National Assembly
Reconfigured French society Abolished the first estate Defined clergy as civilians Made the king the chief
executive but deprived him of legislative authority
Constitutional Monarchy Men with property could
vote
Primary Difference
The Americans sought independence from British imperial rule, but they kept British law and much of the British social and cultural heritage
The French revolutionaries sought to replace the ancien regime (“the old order”) with new political, social, and cultural structures