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Compare french and american revolutions
Compare & contrast American and French revolutions
Similarities between the American and French revolutions
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Both the French Revolution and the American Revolution were two of the most bloody times in their respective country’s history, all over a fight for equality between nobles and commoners. The French Revolution was a ten year span from 1789 to 1799, and was one of the most bloodiest times in France’s history. The American Revolution was a fight between the American colonies and Great Britain over independence. With all this in mind, similarities like similar leaders, documents, and causes can be seen through an examination of the French and American Revolutions. Both rulers of the French and American Revolutions, King George III and King Louis XVI, put their countries into debt problems. The first similarity between King Louis XVI and King …show more content…
First of all, the “DOROMAC” and the Declaration of Independence both state that all men are created free and equal. An example of this is from the Declaration of Independence as follows: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness (“U.S. Declaration of Independence (1776”).” An example from the “DOROMAC” is in article one where it talks about how everyone is free and equal, and that social classes should only exist if it is good for the people. A second way the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen and the Declaration of Independence are similar is that they both state that taxes should be controlled by the …show more content…
The first cause of the two revolutions is that there was a change in the tax system attempted. An example is how King George III attempted to change the tax system: “Prime Minister George Grenville advocated raising additional funds from the colonies themselves, particularly as the Crown routinely invested large sums in protecting its overseas territories (Sowards).” King George III tried to tax the American colonies, which did not sit well with the colonies. King Louis XVI’s solution was to convene the Estates-General to try to tax the clergy and nobles. Since there were more nobles than commoners, they declined the law, which caused the third estate to leave the Estates-General, taking the Tennis Court Oath, and forming the French National Assembly. Another cause of the French Revolution and the American Revolution is that commoners protested against “unfair taxes”. An example of how commoners protested against “unfair taxes”in the French Revolution: “The following weeks were marked with unrest, including the storming of the Bastille on July 14. In the weeks to follow, mobs in the countryside burnt down mansions owned by aristocrats and destroyed administrative records and documents (Nadis).” In the colonies, they responded to this with protests, mob actions, boycotts, and published pieces about their right. They were so angered that they literally tore down the house of a governor who
The enlightenment ideas affected politics for both the French and the American peoples through the form of government and individual rights. Thinkers such as Jean-Jacques Rousseau, believed in the individual right of man as a citizen of a sovereign nation. In 1789, Marquis de Lafayette used Rousseau and other free thinker’s ideas to draft his Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen to the National Constituent Assembly in France (http://www.pbs.org/marieantoinette/revolution/america_france.html). This established universal rights for individuals that always existed at all times. The document shows many similarities to American documents such as the declaration of Human Rights in the U.S. Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights in the Constitution. For instance, they all show a relationship through the declaration of individual rights such as free speech and freedom of religion. However, the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen focuses more on individualism while American documents focus more on a community “We the People” (http://www.pbs.org/marieantoin...
From the time period 1775-1800, the American Revolution would impact the United States in political, social and economic ways.
The American Revolution and French Revolution were two long lasting uprisings that had great value to those battling for their rights and want they wanted to change. Yet there are a few distinctions details set them apart in a small way. The Americans wanted a change in their government, but the French wanted a huge change in everything including their government, religion, social structure (whereas American’s social system stayed the same) and economy. Other than the few differences they had, they two Revolutions were much alike, basically twin revolutions.
For starters, both revolutions were inspired by others. The French revolution was empowered by the American. News spread throughout the rest of the world that England’s American colony had overthrown their British government with a war. A period called "The Enlightenment" sparked the American Revolution. During this time, philosophers and lawmakers focused on basic human rights and creating a balanced government. Ideas from the Declaration of Independence which came from these philosophers, inspired the people of France to develop a sense of natural rights in French government. Since their current government gave the people very little natural rights, they rebelled.
The American and the French revolutions had many similarities and differences. One similarity being is that they both wanted to escape the rule of their King. Second, they both started by an uprising of people against unfair taxation by the monarchy. The French peasants were not represented by the Parliament. It was mainly composed of middle and upper class people. Now, the American colonists were not represented in England because of their lack of presence. Both wanted to set up a Republic, which provided liberty and justice to all classes of citizens. Just like France, the American colonists were composed up mainly middle and lower class citizens. The American Revolution started out by not wanting bloodshed and violence. France started out with violence and bloodshed. (American Revolution)
The American Revolution began due to problems within the British economy. The most prevalent issue of the time was "taxation without representation". Unlike the leaders of America, the leaders of the French did not turn out to be as positive for the country. In fact, some of these leaders have caused much more harm than good.
America was first settled by the europeans, Spanish, and the french. They all settled for land and power, and battled for land in the North American continent, dividing the Continent into 3different territories. The europeans were the first to have bring slaves to the Americas. Europeans began to settle in the new world and gain dominance over the 13 original British colonies. These states were divided by the reason they were settled. New England- Connecticut, new Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island was settled for Religious freedom. The middle states- Delaware, New York, Pennsylvania and New jersey were settled for trade. The southern states -Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, South Carolina was settled for farming,The French and Indian war pushed more division in the states because after the British had
In a time of war, who isn’t affected? This a question we ask ourselves today. The American revolution affected multiple groups of people and it is hard to determine which group was affected more than another. Although this war was created to ultimately earn freedom from Great Britain, it was also created for the colonies to fight to keep slavery alive. African Americans were not treated as the human beings they were born to be. Families were ripped away from one another and made to leave their values behind as men and women were bought and sold to serve the white man.
As previously stated, the most important reasons as to why people supported the American Revolution was to secure political and legal rights and improve the state of the economy. However, the true rationale for a revolt often differed depending on the person or group. For example, African-Americans and other minorities supported the Revolution because they wanted to create a future for themselves, whether it was by finding a job or fighting for independence (Van Buskirk, Standing in Their Own Light, 63). In addition, the Revolution created opportunities for African-Americans to make social and political relationships that were previously unattainable. To elaborate, due to their participation in the war, whites were somewhat less apprehensive
The American and French Revolutions were both fundamentally based on the Enlightenment ideas. The main ideas that they followed were by John Locke. His ideas inspired the Americans and the French to have a revolution. In these revolutions, the Americans had success and the French failed. The success that the Americans experienced wad due to the protection of rights they had. These rights are 'Life, Liberty and Property.? In America a constitution was put together that provided for a stable government and also a representative government. In France failure was caused by chaos, terror, fear and war. The French were unsuccessful because they failed to create a democratic government. In the end they were left with a dictator.
The American and French revolutions were two great revolutions that changed two nations two what they are now known for today. The American’s, Patriots, whatever you may call them, took the land of America away from the heavy taxing of Great Britain. The French took over their government and took whomever was in their way with them. Both nations are similar in government and economic ways, and different in social ways.
The American and the French revolutions consist of many differences and likenesses. One of which being that they both desired to escape the ruling of their anarchy. Second, both the Americans and the French began by the rebellion of people against unfair taxation by there monarchy.
The American and French Revolutions were both major occurrences during the late 18th century. These revolutions were pivotal to the formation of modern day western democracies. Although these two revolutions started for very similar reasons like freedom, citizen’s rights, and equality, the differences are all in the details.
The French Revolution started in 1789 and ended in the 1790’s. During this time citizen rampaged through France displaying their disapproval in the French monarch as well as the feudal system. Like the American Revolution the French Revolution was fuel by Enlightenment ideals such as popular sovereignty and absolute rights. As the 18th century drew to a close, France’s costly involvement in the American Revolution and King Louis XVI’s extravagant spending had left the country on the brink of bankruptcy. Two decades of poor cereal harvests, drought, cattle disease and skyrocketing bread prices had stirred unrest among peasants. However, one of the biggest problems of the French Revolution was King Louis XVI.
The French Revolution was a significant milestone in European history, remembered by many in historical and literary works. The situation in France, mostly under the leadership of Louis XVI, had a negative influence in France, thus creating a perfect climate for the French Revolution. France was plagued by both debt, and poor decision making. prior to 1789. France was poverty-stricken and burdened with some of the highest debts. On the financial side, Louis XVI was aided by: Finance Minister Anne Robert Jauques Turgot, and Interior Minister Chretien Guillaume de Lamoignon de Malesherbes (*The economic origins of the French revolution, pg. 4). Louis introduced some of the most oppressive taxes and instituted financial reforms. Greater reforms were prevented by the opposition of the upper classes and court. This opposition was so strong that Turgot was forced to resign and was replaced by Jauques Necker. Lengthy wars, the support to the American Revolution and the gross amount of taxes paid and the lavish spending of the court contributed to the huge national debt. The government’s financial problems were made worse after 1740 by the renewal of costly wars (the French revolution, pg. 9). The war of the Austrian Succession (1740-1748) and the Seven Year’s War (1756-1763) were European wars over the domination of central Europe and colonial and commercial wars between France and Great Britain (*Aspects of the French Revolution pg. ). At their end, in 1763 France had lost almost all of it’s colonial empire in America and India. In 1778 the French launched an attack against Britain in the American Revolution. They were hoping to weaken old rivalries and regain lost colonies. The hopes of the French were not realized and their participation in the war increased an already heavy national debt. After Louis XVI granted financial aid (1778-81) to the American colonies revolting against Great Britain, Necker proposed drastic taxes on the nobility. Necker was forced to resign in 1781 (Louis XVI and M. Antoinette ..pg 37) because of the discontentment of the people. Charles Alexandre deCalonne replaced him in 1783 and borrowed money for the court until the borrowing limit was reached (* Canadian Encyclopedia ref: france, revolution ). The anger of the French people against taxes, debt and lavish spending on the Court resulted in the recall of Necker in 1788, who still could not prevent bankruptcy of the government. During the next couple of years the financial crisis steadily worsened, because the government was bankrupt.