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Comparison of the american and french revolutions
Compare & contrast American and French revolutions
Similarities and differences of the american and french revolutions
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War causes a lot of turmoil and drama between regions. The American and French Revolutions both have their similarities and their differences. The American Revolution was because they did not like how Britain was ruling them and the French Revolution was because the third class, commoners, wanted there to be more quality between the estates. There was also the fact that the French Revolution was way more violent than the American Revolution. But they were alike in that they didn’t like how the government ruled them.
In the American Revolution, they didn’t like how the British was ruling over them. The British made the Stamp Act that would force people to pay a tax on stamps that they were required to have. In the textbook by Jackson Spielvogel
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it says, “opposition was widespread and often violent, and the act was repealed in 1766. The crisis was over, but the cause of the dispute was not resolved” (321). So even after the Stamp Act was repealed, the British still controlled a lot of what the americans did. The fighting started after this. The colonists had gotten tired of the way the British government was ruling them so they started a revolt. The British army stepped in and tried to stop them but the American’s had the help of many other nations. These nations helped because they wanted revenge against Great Britain. Soon after, these nations fighting together, they defeated Great Britain and created the Constitutional Convention along with The Bill of Rights. The French Revolution, however, was much more violent.
According to the textbook, written by Jackson Spielvogel, “it tried to create both a new political order and a new social order” (330). The three estates weren’t very equal or fair in the least. The lower class, the commoners, had to pay all the taxes and they were allowed to own barely any land at all. The way these estates ran made the third estate very upset. Due to bad harvests, the government was low on money yet they still spent the money on fancy luxuries and costly war expenses. The third estate decided to create the National Assembly and drafted their own constitution. On one of their meetings, they arrived to find the doors locked so they moved to an indoor tennis court. They swore to meet there until they made a French constitution and they called it the Tennis Court Oath. King Louis XVI was ready to use force against the thirst estate since he did not like how they made the National Assembly. However, the Bastille was stormed and Louis XVI was informed he couldn’t trust his troops. There were more and more laws made to ensure that the French would do as they were told. Many people died in what was known as The Reign of Terror. In this, about 40,000 people were killed. There was a lot of violence in this Revolution but eventually, Napoleon overthrew the Directory and things started going the way the Third estate
wanted. All in all, the French and American Revolutions were both alike and different. They were both fights because the government wasn’t doing the right thing. They wanted to change the way the government was. In the textbook by Jackson Spielvogel, it states about the French Revolution, “the National Assembly voted to abolish the rights of landlords, as well as the financial privileges of nobles and clergy” (332). They wanted to make it more equal between the three estates. And for the American Revolution, they also wanted to get rid of how the government made it unfair to them. They also were very different, however. The American Revolution used the help of other nations to fight against Great Britain and the French Revolution was just the third estate fighting against the government.
One of the British actions that angered the colonists was the Stamp Act. The Stamp Act was passed in response to colonist's complaints about the Sugar Act. The Stamp Act, according to the chart in document one, forced colonists to buy a stamp and place it on all of their paper products. Colonists boycotted the Stamp Act and and formed the Committees of Correspondence and the Sons of Liberty. The Sons of Liberty, according to document two, tarred and feathered British officials and tax collectors to protest the Stamp A...
When the British passed the Stamp Act, the colonists reacted in various ways. The Stamp Act, passed in 1765, put taxes on all printed goods in the colonies. Specifically, newspapers, legal documents, dice,
The British were facing economic difficulties after the French and Indian war; therefore, they passed taxes on the colonies to help repay the debt. Initially, the British introduced the Sugar Act in 1764. The colonists did not approve of the British taking control over them. The colonists opposed the Sugar Act because they had to pay three cent tax on sugar. In addition, the Sugar Act increased the taxes on coffee, indigo, and wine. This act was the start of colonist frustration. Subsequently came the Stamp Act the following year in 1765. The Stamp Act was the mind changer for many colonists known as the Patriots. The Patriots started forming as a result of England enforcing acts. The patriots believed the colonies should go to war and separate
While the French and the American revolutions share some similarities, they differ in most areas involving the revolution. Enlightenment ideas would help shape politics, economics, and religion in the revolutionary nations. Although both found the importance of individual rights, they took different paths in establishing and operating their respective governments. The economic standpoints of the French would be in contrary with the American economics which roughly associate with enlightenment thinkers such as Adam Smith. Religion would closely be associated with principles in the United States while the French sought to secularize their nation.
The Stamp Act was the first stepping stone towards the revolution taking place in 1765. The Stamp Act was created for a revenue for the British. This means that Britain place tax on basically on everyday items. Grenville’s believed it was a good idea to regulate colonial trade.
The Stamp Act was passed in 1765, and placed a tax on any papered goods that were going into the colonies from Britain. This included newspapers, pamphlets, and playing cards, just to name a few (Stamp Act).The colonists had been so accustomed to their freedom from the crown at this point, that they were enraged. The relationship between the Mother country and the colonies did not get much better with the instatement of the Townshend Acts of 1767. These acts passed taxes on every day goods that the colonists needed, such as lead, tea, glass and paint(Townshend Acts).
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.
Without colonial consent, the British started their bid to raise revenue with the Sugar Act of 1764 which increased duties colonists would have to pay on imports into America. When the Sugar Act failed, the Stamp Act of 1765 which required a stamp to be purchased with colonial products was enacted. This act angered the colonists to no limit and with these acts, the British Empire poked at the up to now very civil colonists. The passing of the oppressive Intolerable Acts that took away the colonists’ right to elected officials and Townshend Acts which taxed imports and allowed British troops without warrants to search colonist ships received a more aggravated response from the colonist that would end in a Revolution.
(140) It was during this time period that “the government in London concerned itself with the colonies in unprecedented ways…to help raise funds to pay for the war and finance the empire.” (Forner 141) The British government was heavily in debt after fighting the Seven Years War on several fronts. The need to raise funds was paramount and the colonies were a ready source. The British government started imposing taxes on the colonies as a means of income. This was a change in the relationship between America and the mother country. Many Americans opposed these taxes. (Forner 142- 143) According to Forner, “Opposition to the Stamp Act was the first great Drama of the revolutionary era and the first major split between the colonist and Great Britain over the meaning of freedom.” (142) This act was eventually repealed by Parliament in 1766 after great opposition by Americans. (Forner 144) The Stamp Act was just the beginning of several events and taxes on the colonist leading up the Boston Tea
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 Stamp Act of 1765 was the beginning of the revolution for the colonies of North America. When the Stamp Act was passed by the British Parliament, it required American colonists to pay a tax on every piece of printed paper they used. This included ship’s papers, legal documents, licenses, newspapers, and even playing cards. However, in the past, taxes and duties on colonial trade had always been viewed as measure to regulate commerce but not to raise money. Therefore, England viewed this taxes as a direct attempt to raise money in the colonies without the approval of the colonial legislatures. Due to this effects, the Stamp Act provoked such a violent reaction in the colonies, because it was seen as a threat to the colonist’s liberties and rights, as well as affecting multiple members of the society.
Another aspect to keep in mind when comparing the French and American revolutions is provocation. Provocation includes such things as land war, class war, tyranny, and grievances. The American Revolution had many altercations with social classes and land. One reason the revolution began was because the British created the Proclamation of 1763, which stated that Americans couldn't move east of the Appalachian Mountains. Land was abundant in America, but the British were tired of battles amongst themselves and the Native Americans.
The war had been enormously expensive, and the British government’s attempts to impose taxes on colonists to help cover these expenses resulted in chaos. English leaders, were not satisfied with the financial and military help they had received from the colonists during the war. In a desperate attempt to gain control over the colonies as well as the additional revenue to pay off the war debt, Britain began to force taxes on the colonies. Which resulted in The Stamp Act, passed by parliament and signed by the king in March 1765. The Stamp Act created an excise tax on legal documents, custom papers, newspapers, almanacs, college diplomas, playing cards, and even dice. Obviously the colonist resented the Stamp Act and the assumption that parliament could tax them whenever and however they could without their direct representation in parliament. Most colonials believed that taxation without their consent was a violation of their constitutional rights as Englishmen. Which is where the slogan “No Taxation without Representation” comes
The Stamp Act was a tax passed by Parliament on all printed documents used by the American colonists. The Stamp Act Crisis of 1765-1766 was the first event that sprouted revolutionary thinking in the colonists. Tired of being wrongfully taxed by Parliament the “American Patriots sprang into action” to prevent the tax from being enforced. “In May [1765], Patrick Henry persuaded the Virginia legislature to pass resolutions demanding the act’s repeal.” There were a total of five resolves, each were passed during the meeting of the Virginia House of Burgesses on May 30th because the more conservative leaders had been absent. The fifth resolve stated that only the General Assembly of the Virginia Colony should have the power to levy and collect taxes over its people, it was originally passed but upon return of the other leaders it was retracted.
The American and French Revolutions took place between 1775 and 1789. Though they were closely related chronologically, the two revolutions were interrelated in several other important ways than just time itself.