French Revolution Vs American Revolution
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American and French Revolutions
The French Revolution was an indirect result of the American Revolution. The American Revolution began with colonists fighting against Great Britain’s monarchial rule. The still bitter French aided in the independence of the American. During the same time, France was increasing literacy and the idea of the Enlightenment was spreading. The Bourgeoisie learned how successful the colonists were and when the French monarchy did not respond to the new American ideals the French just fought for, the Bourgeoisie reacted in rebellion. In the end, the French Revolution did not end as successfully as the American Revolution.
Once Great Britain gained control of the land east of the Mississippi River, the thirteen colonies formed. The colonies were both prosperous and thickly populated. However, defending the colonies was very costly and at the end of the Seven Years War (otherwise known as the French and Indian War) Britain sought to acquire new revenues from the colonies. Britain believed the colonies needed to be ruled by a single empire and Parliament as the supreme authority. In contrast, the colonist did not believe in a monarchial rule; they wanted their own voice and representation for taxes. This led to Britain creating legal acts such as the Sugar, Stamp, Townshend, and Tea Acts. These all resulted in the colonists protesting by rioting. The largest and most remembered was the Boston Tea Party, which resulted in the retaliation of Britain via the Boston Massacre. The final effort from Britain was the Intolerable Acts, which led to the formation of the Continental Congress.
The first Continental Congress failed to form an agreement and attempted to make amends with Britain. This was also unsuccessful and resulted in the Lexington and Concord battles which lead to the 2nd Continental Congress. In 1776, the Continental Congress and the colonists decided to declare their independence from ...