You Say You Want a Revolution

You Say You Want a Revolution

The American Revolution and French Revolution are very similar in many ways but different as well. Both were inspired by the words of great men, such as Benjamin Franklin for the Americans and Jean-Jacques Rousseau for the French. Each country sought for freedom and equality for all men. Money was a major factor for each as well. Both understood that in order to bring such radical change violence was inevitable. America and France wanted a change for the better and they were both willing to do what was necessary.

The American Revolution began in 1774 followed by the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776 and the conclusion of the revolution in 1781. The Declaration of Independence was a document that which states that all Americans had rights which included "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness". "The French revolution began in 1789, which began an anarchy, descended into terror and culminated into military dictatorship" (Marano1).The French Revolution was ended by the Treaty of Versilles in 1799. The French created a similar document based on the American declaration. It states that the French had rights to "liberty, property, security, and the resistance of oppression". Needless to say, both documents emphasize the fact that liberty is a right that all men are entitled.

Taxes were a large reason for the start of the American Revolution. The British placed unfair taxes on the people of the colonies to pay for things the colonies were not involved with. This taxation without representation was a grievance for the Americans which fueled the creation of secret groups to come up with a plan to cease such things. Similarly, the French had problems with unfair taxes as well. Many of the upper class members of society were exempt from taxes. The people exempt from taxation were often ones who passed to have the taxes enforced in the first place which also led to secret meeting spots. "Finding themselves locked out of their regular meeting place, the deputies of the Third Estate met instead in the nearby tennis courts and committed themselves to continue to meet until they established a new constitution in France"(Spielvogel 539). In France, the Third Estate paid the majority and had fewest of the votes