Background Information on the Enlightenment: In the year of 1791, The French and Haitian Revolution coexisted simultaneously. France was trying to pick up the pieces of a country left in shambles, while across the hemisphere, Haiti was about to ignite the fire. In France, they were in the process of creating a new government, in which all citizens would have equal rights, as based on the Declaration of the Rights of Man. In Haiti, a shocked oppressed populace was discovering the power that was held by the Declaration of the Rights of Man and was keen to set their own revolution. Due to these uprisings in different parts of the world, it had a varying political objective, but it appears to be that it was roused by the Enlightenment's radical …show more content…
Thus, Philosophes like Voltaire, Rousseau, John Locke and Montesquieu, created new ideas about the different types of possible governments and societies, such as human rights, citizenship, & democracy. Eventually, these ideas began spreading throughout France. Similarities between the French and Haitian Revolution: In France, the Enlightenment helped influence the French Revolution because the third estate, noticed that their basic right wasn’t being met. Specifically, the bourgeoisie, which was the growing merchant/professional class were well educated and familiar with the writings of philosophes like Locke, Montesquieu, and Rousseau. It was the bourgeoisie class that was educated, yet they didn’t have privileges like the First and Second Estate consequently, they began to question if there should be a social and political change in France. John Locke is an example of a philosophe who helped shape the outline of the French Revolution because he said that if people are dissatisfied with their governments, they should overthrow them, so they could create a new government. In Haiti, the enlightenment helped shape the Haitian revolution because ideas like freedom and liberty inspired them to bring …show more content…
The French, not at all like the Haitian slaves, were under a legislature as nationals and were trying to overthrow their current government. In doing so, they wanted to create a new government where they had rights that could settle their social needs as well as repair the damages caused by the war and decrease France’s debt. France was going through an internal battle because for 175 years the estates general wasn’t in session and when it was in session in 1789, King Louis XVI asked for more money but locked out the third estate. The third estate had no voice, rights and were just poor peasants suffering from having to pay 40% tax. Louis XVI was the king of France and thusly was considered in charge of its monetary emergency and the disparity of the French society. However, Haiti was an entirely unexpected circumstance. Haiti was a province of France and was misused for its monetary purposes and as a noteworthy market slave exchange. Consequently, it was under a remote control that had no goal of giving rights or freedom to the slaves. So, when France began writing its Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen, it started many minor slave rebellions, eventually causing
Overall, the French Revolution occured because of horrendous treatment of the third estate. Unfair taxation, an obvious bias towards the upper classes, and an inadequacy of change for the better was what caused it to happen. Unfortunately, a vast amount of lives were lost to this hopeless
In Documents 1, 2, and 10, the Haitian Revolution was the spark
Comparative Essay The late 18th and 19th century brought about the French and Haitian Revolutions. Both revolutions were connected to each other because of the link between France and Haiti, known then as St Domingue. However, there were also differences as far as political, economic and social causes were concerned. One of the political causes of the French revolution was the weak monarchy.
French overthrew their internal government, while Haiti overthrew their external government. The French revolution was the start of enlightenment ideas coming into place in Europe. The french were in debt The French monarchs had unlimited power and also declared themselves as representatives of god. This revolution stirred among the French leading to the rise of Napoleon. The Haitian Revolution influenced slave rebellions in the United States and the British Colonies.
The late 18th and 19th century brought about an array of revolutions, which collectively shook the world; leaving the political, economic, social and cultural aspects far different than it had been before the influx of new ideas and conflicts. The French Revolution and the Haitian Revolution are prime examples of revolutions in this time period. Haiti was the French colony of St. Domingue and was the most productive colonial economy in the world, dominated by plantation agriculture. France dominated Haiti in means of attaining economic surplus and benefits by unnecessary means. Both revolutions shared evident similarities but also had fundamental differences in their causes and effects.
The French, Haitian, and American Revolutions were all sparked from the minds of the colonists, slaves, or lower classes who were treated with inequality by their own governments. In each location, there was a noticeable trend of mistreatment between government and people. In Haiti, slaves brought over by the French who captured the island, and forced them into brutal labor in what was the most valuable and wealthy are at the time. The government and leadership in France was corrupt as they were in much debt. King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette lived in Versailles far from the other forms of government, abusing the country wealth.
The French Revolution was one of the most significant wars that changed France’s history. The Revolution started in 1789 and ended in 1799 and was mainly initiated by the conditions affecting the Third Estate. Louis XVI was predominately the king during this time period but little did he know that an uprising among the peasants was happening. The French Revolution was caused by the Enlightenment ideas because of the American Revolution, the knowledge of rights, and the questioning of France’s government. The American Revolution was basically the “fire” that ignited the change the Third Estate wanted to see in their country.
Unit 2: Absolutism and Revolution Portfolio In this unit, you examined the American and French Revolutions. The American Revolution, sparked by conflict over British rule and influenced by Enlightenment ideas, broke colonial ties with a monarchy and yielded a new nation. The French Revolution, inspired by the American Revolution as well as the Enlightenment, freed French citizens from an absolute monarchy and secured equality before the law for all male citizens.
From the 16th to 18th century, countries in Europe were experiencing new ideas and reforms. Philosophers like Locke believed in social equality. They have discussed the purpose of a government and spread their ideas. Locke’s ideas led to the revolution in France, who didn’t have rights under absolute monarch’s control. After the French gained their rights, people in Haiti started to fight because they wanted to have the same rights that French gained during the reform.
Allison Yi 10/17/16 10th Grade Global History Period 7 Introduction: Revolutions were significant events in history that dramatically affected the rights of the inhabitants. The Latin American revolution as well as the Haitian revolution were led to gain independence from the colonial power of France, Spain, and Portugal. The Latin American revolution led by Simon Bolivar and the Haitian Revolution have both similarities and differences as they both started due to the want for political, economic and social changes. BP1 Topic Sentence: The Latin American and Haitian revolution were both started due to the want for social change because of the inhumane treatment they were receiving.
The Haitian Revolution can be compared to the French revolution in that they were both influenced by the Enlightenment
From 1791 to 1804, the country that had the biggest impact on the Haitian Revolution was France. In fact, the French Revolution was a significant catalyst to the Haiti’s own revolution despite having started a few years prior. At this point, France’s economy was still suffering after their involvement in both the American Revolutionary War and the Seven Years’ War. To combat the huge amount of debt they owed, France issued widely unpopular taxation schemes which ultimately caused more harm than benefit. Additionally, the heightened privileges enjoyed by the aristocracy and the clergy drew popular resentment.
The French Revolution all began after people in France decided it was time to fight for their rights and freedom and escape the tyranny that took place and give the people more power. At the time King Louis XVI was the French king and had power from 1774 to 1792 and was later executed in 1793. In France, the people were divided into three separate social estates, clergy, nobility, and the commoner as the lowest and the highest above all of course would be the king. The Enlightenment was a movement by intellectuals who promoted reason and science, and they began to question the system in place at the time in France and they began to spread revolutionary ideas that got people thinking about change. The “French Revolution was influenced by Enlightenment ideals” and when the ideas began to spread people were newly educated about something they never thought about, and after
During the Haitian Revolution through August 21, 1791, to January 1, 1804, slaves were imported from Africa and oppressed by the white, French population. The slaves were outraged at the mistreatment and decided to revolt against their masters. There were many causes that started the revolution, such as social, economic, and political inequality between the white French and everyone else. The revolution itself also had an important legacy that inspired hope for the future of those oppressed as well as more negatively, death and tragedy. The Haitian Revolution was caused by oppressive slavery and discrimination against all but the French elite and led to the death of French and Haitians alike, the French’s expulsion from the island, and the spread of hope and freedom to other oppressed people all over the world.
The French Revolution was undoubtedly influenced by the political theorists of the Enlightenment. The ideas of two French political theorists in particular are easily seen throughout the French Revolution, Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Baron Montesquieu. Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s thoughts and texts, such as the Social Contract, instilled the entitlement of basic human rights to all men. Rousseau’s concepts on rights combined with Baron Montesquieu’s ideas on government provided the backbone of a radical movement in the French Revolution known as the Terror. When one delves into the beginnings of the French Revolution, the motives and actions of the National Assembly, and the Terror of the French Revolution, one can obviously see the influence of two Enlightenment political theorists, Rousseau and Montesquieu.