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= **An Introduction to the American and French Revolutions** =

This Pathfinder covers Georgia Performance Standard SSWH14 and is intended for high school World History students in grades 9-12.

**A brief overview:** **The American Revolution**
The American Revolution is also known as the Revolutionary War or the American War of Independence. It began in 1775 when the British forces and American colonists (from the thirteen colonies) began fighting at Lexington and Concord. It ended in 1781 when the British surrendered at Yorktown. You may be asking, What began this fight that lasted for six years? Well, let me give you a very brief overview... The American colonists wanted their independence from England because they felt they were not being properly represented in the British Parliament. You see, England passed many laws making the American colonists pay high taxes and tariffs. This was done because the British Crown wanted to exert even more control over the American colonists. The Americans had enough of this "no taxation without representation" and decided to fight back. In 1775 American colonists and British forces began fighting at Lexington and Concord in Massachusetts. The British wanted to take control of the supplies that the American colonists had stored there for the colonial militia, also called the Minutemen. Other attacks occurred in New York at fort Ticonderoga and Bunker Hill in Boston, Massachusetts. In July 1776, the Second Continental Congress was convened and the delegates at Philadelphia officially stated their independence from Britain by creating and issuing the Declaration of Independence. This is considered the real start of the American revolt against the British. The Americans were led in battle by General George Washington. He would later become the first President of the United States of America. For more detail, please explore the many materials and reference sources that are available with this Pathfinder. By utilizing the materials made available to you through this Pathfinder, you will learn in great detail things such as the various battles that took place during the American Revolution, the people that helped lead American colonists to victory, and the resulting "birth" of a new nation.



**A brief overview: The French Revolution**
OFF WITH THEIR HEADS! This seemed to be the battle cry during the French Revolution. I hear you asking "How did this all start?" I will explain. Before 1789 in France, there were three types of social classes (which the French called estates). They were Estate #1--the clergy. The clergy had many privileges and did not have to pay taxes. Estate #2--the nobles. They had many privileges, too. They were allowed to hunt and also not pay taxes. The last estate--Estate #3--this was everyone else--the doctors, merchants, lawyers, and peasants. They had NO privileges. They had to pay high taxes. This made the third estate VERY angry--especially among the merchants. But that's not all. It get's even more complicated. There were divisions within each estate. In Estate #1--not all priests are rich--the Bishops are very rich, but the Parish Priests are not. In Estate #2--there is a split between the smaller groups--the "nobles of race" are born into nobility. However, the "nobles of the sword" may have come from the third estate and "moved up" to the second estate by serving in the military. The "nobles of the robe" could buy their titles--allowing them to move up from the third estate to the second. In Estate #3--the peasants (which were the majority of the people) were not treated as well as others in the third estate--such as the literate and educated people--also called the "bourgeoisie" (the merchants, lawyers, and doctors). The last division within the third estate was the urban workers. They lived in the cities. However, it is important to note, NO ONE in the third estate had privileges and were not allowed to hunt. Now, with this all said, this division of social classes and inequalities were the beginning of a country ready to explode with anger. The French people were hungry and tired of the king's extravagance. King Louis XVI and his wife, Marie Antoinette, were always having lavish parties at their Palace at Versailles. The peasants and others watched as King Louis XVI and other aristocrats ate, drank, and partied while they were starving and dying on the streets. Enough was enough!! This had to be stopped! So the French people rose up against the king, stormed the Bastille prison where the armory was located, and led a massive revolt that would end in thousands losing their heads by use of the guillotine--including King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. The French Revolution and the Reign of Terror had begun.

To understand more about how various social and economic reasons brought about the French Revolution (including the French support of the American Revolution against the British) and how the French Revolution finally came to an end, please explore the many reference sources available in this Pathfinder.

Images above were taken from: http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/American_Revolution.aspx **and** http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/French_Revolutionary_Wars.aspx