Download 1 | Page Calvin Robinson CHIS202 2011 April 14th, 2011 Research

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Calvin Robinson
CHIS202 2011
April 14th, 2011
Research Rough Draft Single-space header
Fix spacing
Rephrase The French Revolution was not against outside country, but against itself inside its
own borders, mainly against its own monarchy. Why though, one may ask, was their revolution
bloodier than the American Revolution, or why did America not fall into a “Reign of Terror” like
the French? One was the simple fact that the Americans were united in a common goal to drive
out an opposing force and had a type of preset government while the French were in turmoil
against themselves and therefore did not really have any governing ruling and had no type of
enforcement to enforce the laws. This is a good start, you are bit wordy at time. Try to be more
concise.
When?, America had already had a set plan of regulations on what they were going to do.
When declaring its independence, the many important figure heads came together to construct
certain rules. These rules united all people of America at the time because they all had one
common enemy in Great Britain. Therefore when constructing the Declaration of Independence,
a sort of motion for preset expected rules were set. As it stood then and as it stands now, the
Declaration of Independence stands in the center of American consciousness1. With this being
said, America place in historical/scholarly language.
1
Zuckert, Michael P. . "Self-Evident Truth and the Declaration of
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As for the French, with the revolt against ththe which ?king in 1848, it not only
happened in France but in other European countries2. The revolts against the monarchy were
because of taxes being unequally dispersed amongst the different classes mainly to the lower
classes, thus taxation being a “strategic” plan of revolt3. One of the main reasons for the French
revolution was due to the unfair taxation of the lower class French citizens; this was due to
financial crises that the France was dealing with at the time which made them tax the lower class
even heavier, than enforcing taxation on the middle class and upper class citizens4. These
financial crises were like military expenses and aristocracy, while in comparison, America had a
boasting economy due to the selling and trading of slaves along with sugar and tobacco. Yes, but
France had the colony of Haiti along with many others? What about France’s declining economy
due to the money it gave North America for its American Revolution?
Once the taxes kept coming and becoming heavier, tensions began to run high among
lower class French citizens and a revolt was inevitable. This was soon realized by the king and
his family and they tried to make an escape and flee the country but were captured and ultimately
killed. During the time they were killed is about when the French nation ran amuck and the so
called “Reign of Terror” began. It can be said that this happened because with no leaders in place
and country full of people doing what they want then it was pretty much a lawless land and
Independence The Review of Politics". 49. 3 (1987), 319-339, http://www.jstor.org/stable/1407839. (accessed
March 3, 2011). Fix the font.
2
Upshur,Jiu-hwa L.. World History. 4 ed. Clark Baxter. Wadsworth,
2005.
3
Kiser, Edgar and Linton, April. "The Hinges of History: StateMaking and Revolt in Early Modern France American
Sociological Review". 67. 6 (2002), 889-910,
http://www.jstor.org/stable/3088975. (accessed March 3, 2011).
4
World History International.
"The French Revolution." http://history-world.org/french_revolution1.htm
(accessed March 3rd 2011). Fix your footnotes
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therefore anything could happen---There was a leader, Robespierre, you need to incorporate him
and the Committee on Public Safety into this part. This supposedly being an answer to why the
French Revolution was more bloodier than the American Revolution because American had a
type of power or leaders set up after ridding themselves the British and gaining their
independence. In other words it was a type of smooth transition and American kept it moving
steadily with laws set in place and a united country working towards a common goal, with an
idea of what was wanted; unlike the French. There was not common goal, no unified idea at the
moment. Was it? What about Shay’s Rebellion in MA after the American Revolution? Be careful
about your wording.
Use a different word became so crazy and radical in France in thanks due to the different
radical groups like “The Girondists”, “The Jocobians”, and the “The Sans-Culottes”. Please
define and explain each group. These different groups helped spark or escalate the craziness that
was already going on in France with their different beliefs and played a part to the Reign of
Terror. As for the Reign of Terror itself, it lasted from September of 1793 to July of 1794.
During this horrible, bloody time a certain group named the Committee of Public Safety was at
the head of everything, being responsible for a many of the executions that took place5. These
many executions happened without any type of due process or order. Countless people were
killed for fairly petty reasons, just reasons to feed on the madness of the excitement of the on
looking crowd. The kings and queen were among the many that fell victim to a tragic end in life.
One of the most radical leaders of the French Revolution during the Reign of Terror
would hands down be a man by the name of Maximilien Robespierre. He alone (not accureate) is
5
Hooker, Richard. "The Radical Revolution."
6/6/1999.http://www.wsu.edu/~dee/REV/RADICAL.HTM
(accessed March 3rd 2011).
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the culprit for many of the executions that went on during the time in the Reign of Terror period;
but the most ironic thing to happen is that he also died the same way he sentenced many others to
die. He was beheaded. So as this being an example, life during the French Revolution was very
harsh and scary. Life was filled of hectic radical changes with no one clearly having control or
power. It could be said that the French were inspired by the American Revolution in the likes
that they were inspired for the equalities of liberty and democracy or in search of a republic type
form of government.
Just like the American government had the Declaration of Independence, we see France’s
version of America’s Declaration of Independence. Like the American Revolution, it expresses
ideas representative of the people. The document is a result of the French Revolution and it states
many ideas of liberty6. The French version of the American Declaration of Independence was
called The Declaration of the Rights of Man and its origin date is August 17th, 1789. The French
Declaration of Man was established by the French National Assembly exalted the idea of laws
democratically passed as supreme; no longer would the sovereign will of a monarch be able to
override all legal restrictions. This French version of the American Declaration of Independence
affected the reset European ideals towards government, not the Declaration of Independent of
America. You might want to introduce this earlier, keep this in tighter chronological order.
A representative of the French people was responsible for holding an assembly because
they felt that the neglect of man’s rights was the sole purpose or reason for the calamities that
happened to cause the said “Reign of Terror” and so therefore that is why The Declaration of the
Rights of Man came about the help put an ease to the tension of the people and to try and bring
6
Clark Atlanta University History Department, A History Reader.
Littleton, MA: Tapestry Press, Ltd., 2010
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an end to the frenzy of lawlessness happening in the land at the time. So once these set of laws
came about it sort of brought calm to the people and was one of the first real steps at leadership
by the French.
Though, that would not have been the case if it were not for the charismatic army general
Napoleon Bonaparte coming into power to bring some order to the order-less France at the time.
With taking over the military and his rise to power, Napoleon Bonaparte can be seen as the
French equivalent to George Washington with leading his people during a revolutionary period
to a better outcome for his country to help them move forward7. Altogether, the French
Revolution involved more bloodshed than the American Revolution because of no structure;
there was no preset plan with the French to carry out types of law. There was no leader of sort to
take charge that the people believed in; this was the France’s downfall, which is why their
revolution involved more bloodshed.
This is a good start. I like your opening argument about the US having a protogovernment in place as well as fighting a “foreign enemy.” You need to think about organizing
all of this into chronological order, as you somewhat go back and forth. In addition, consider
what I brought up in terms of France’s monetary aid to American colonists, the role of Shay’s
Rebellion in the US, why didn’t this end up in a “reign of terror?”
Fix your footnotes
Bibliography page should be on a separate page.
7
Hunt, Lynn. "History Workshop Revolution in France". 15. (1983), 7894, http://www.jstor.org/stable/4288460. (accessed March 3,
2011).
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84/B
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Clark Atlanta University History Department, A History Reader.
Littleton, MA: Tapestry Press, Ltd., 2010
Hunt, Lynn. "History Workshop Revolution in France". 15. (1983), 7894, http://www.jstor.org/stable/4288460. (accessed March 3,2011).
Hooker, Richard. "The Radical Revolution."
6/6/1999.http://www.wsu.edu/~dee/REV/RADICAL.HTM (accessed March 3rd 2011).
Kiser, Edgar and Linton, April. "The Hinges of History: State-Making and Revolt in
Early Modern France American Sociological Review". 67. 6 (2002), 889-910,
http://www.jstor.org/stable/3088975. (accessed March 3, 2011).
6|Page
7|Page
Upshur,Jiu-hwa L.. World History. 4 ed. Clark Baxter. Wadsworth,
2005.
World History International. "The French Revolution." http://historyworld.org/french_revolution1.htm (accessed March 3rd 2011).
Zuckert, Michael P. . "Self-Evident Truth and the Declaration of
Independence The Review of Politics". 49. 3 (1987), 319-339,
http://www.jstor.org/stable/1407839. (accessed March 3, 2011).
7|Page