Key Historical Events: US & French Revolutions

Key Historical Events: US and French Revolutions

United States

The US Constitution

The Constitution is the set of fundamental laws of a nation. The US Constitution, based on the ideas of Rousseau and Montesquieu, developed the first declaration of human rights. The new country was a presidential and federal republic.

The Boston Tea Party

In 1773, in Boston, a cargo of tea was thrown into the sea. It was an act of protest by American colonists against Britain, and that event sparked the War of Independence of the United States.

George Washington

Military General George Washington was the first US President and Commander of the Continental Army of the revolutionary forces in the War of Independence of the United States. Washington began to win trophies, commanding armed troops from Virginia.

France

The Constituent Assembly

The Constituent Assembly, formed after the National Assembly of 1789, made changes to the political and social situation of the country. Key changes included the adoption of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen and the abolition of feudalism.

The French Constitution of 1791

The first written constitution in French history established a moderate constitutional monarchy, ending absolute monarchy and establishing the separation of powers.

Census Suffrage

Census suffrage is the allocation of voting rights only to the portion of the population enrolled in an electoral roll. The census usually has certain restrictions, generally economic.

The National Convention

The National Convention was the republican regime that exercised executive power in France. It began with a constituent assembly.

The Constitution of 1795

This constitution marked a return to restricted suffrage and represented the ideals and interests of the moderate bourgeoisie.

The Continental System

The Continental System was the main base of foreign policy in its struggle against Britain, preventing trade at all costs. However, Portugal was an ally of Great Britain.

The Restoration

After the expulsion of Napoleon Bonaparte in 1814, a period followed that was called the Restoration. It was characterized by a sharp conservative reaction and the restoration of the Catholic Church as a political power in France.

Doctrinaire Liberalism

Doctrinaire liberalism is the doctrine and political practice associated with the group called the "Doctrinaires" during the Bourbon Restoration in France. They wanted to reconcile the Bourbon monarchy with the French Revolution, and authority with freedom.

Napoleon

Napoleon was a French military ruler and a Republican General during the Revolution. For a little more than a decade, he gained control of almost all of Western and Central Europe by conquest or alliances.

Robespierre

Robespierre was a French politician and one of the most important leaders of the French Revolution. He ruled during the period in which the revolutionaries consolidated their power.

The Reign of Terror

The Reign of Terror is a period in the history of the French Revolution that lasted from September 1793 to the spring of 1794.