PRESENTATION OUTLINE
How were the American and French Revolutions so different and so similar?
The Beginning of the American Revolution
-The citizens of the 13 colonies in America were infuriated by the lack of representation in the British Parliament
-Many factors including high taxes, forced housing of British troops in colonial home, and limited colonization of the western territories were some of the main reasons of the American Revolution.
The Beginnings of the French Revolution
-The French Government at the time was named the Ancien Regime. Like their British counterpart, it had absolute control of the country with very little representation from the lower classes.
-
-Like the American Revolution, there were many individual factors led to the people wanting to form a new government including widespread crop shortages, total government bankruptcy due to the French funding of the American Revolution, and heavy taxes on the people lower classes. People high in the government and Catholic church however were excluded from any taxes.
The Documents
-The American Revolution began with the colonists proclaiming independence from the crown with the Declaration of Independence. In it, it detailed a list of grievances the colonists had with King George III and declared they would no longer be ruled by the crown.
-The French Revolution also featured the writing of a document, the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen. This document detailed the rights of the people and how all every person had a right to them.
The Outcome
-The end of the American Revolution saw the United States become a sovereign nation and the formation of a democratic system. The United States government was divided into many separate branches that could check each other's power.
-The end of the French Revolution on the hand, resulted in a military dictatorship run by a single ruler or consul, Napoleon Bonaparte. Under his rule, France would continue to have a dictatorship until 1870 when Napoleon-Louis Bonaparte fell from power.
The Ideas
-The main way the French Revolution differed however, was in the ideas that developed during the war. The French believed that all people in the country had rights and that their laws should apply to all men and women no matter how rich or poor you are.
-This was very different to the slave holding Thomas Jefferson who sort of tacked on how only white males should have rights and could vote.
