Impact Of The Enlightenment And The French Revolution

In the 18th centurty, people in North America and Europe were revolting against the common enemy, the Kingdom of Great Britain. There were two wars, The Revolutionay War, and The French Revolution. Both of these wars were influenced by the enlightenment, but what were the philosophies of each war, and what happened at the end of them? The Enlightenment, also known as the Age of Reason, was a period of time both the 13 British Colonies and the French used as inspiration in their Revolutions. The Americans, such as Thomas Jefferson drew inspiration from John Locke, who believed that every human born, was born with a blank slate. John Locke also insisted that people be given the right to Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.†¦show more content†¦The colonists were taxed on paper, glass, paint, and tea; they were not happy. In addition to being unfairly taxed, the British Army would go into peoples homes without permission and search people on the street with no probable cause. In the events leading up to the war, some colonists dumped tea into the Boston Harbour to protest the English Parliament. A man named Samuel Adams went around to local breweries to try and persuade the companies to make a better product so they would not have to rely on beer from Great Britain. On May 5, 1770, Private White, a british soldier, was being surrounded by a mob in Boston. As the night went on the crowd grew larger, and in response Private White shot fires into the crowd, instantly killing 3 people. This is what we know to be the Boston Massacre, and the incident that led right into the Revolutionary War. In France, the country was struggling because of the money fighting in the Revolutionary War, and the irresponsible spending of King Louis XVI, the country was bankrupt. To try and make up for the money lost King Louis XVI raised the price of food, which only led to food scarcity. The king was advised that he should raise taxes on his noblemen and clergymen, when the king presented this, they refused. Eventually a group known as the National Assembly was formed to take care of the countrys financial crisis. The 3rd estate in this assembly was toShow MoreRelatedImpact Of Enlightenment On The French Revolution878 Words   |  4 PagesI agree that the Enlightenment was force for positive chang e in society. The Enlightenment was one was the most important intellectual movements in History, as it dominated and influenced the way people thought in Europe in the late 17th and 18th centuries. We will look at how it ultimately influenced the American and French Revolution which is still strongly governed by these ideas and principles today. 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