The American and French Revolutions

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The American and French Revolutions during the late eighteenth century are significant because they symbolized democracy. Over the course of history, the only forms of government that were present were mainly monarchies, but due to the revolutions, people are finally realizing that they have certain rights that cannot be taken away by anyone. The revolutions signaled a new era of democracy, an era of sovereignty and rights of the people. The American and French Revolution revolted against their government and established their own form of government. Despite being taken place in a different time, these two revolutions share many similarities and differences.

The American Revolution resulted from the mistreatment from the British king and parliament. The Seven Years war doubled the national debt of the British (Jones, 143). To pay for the cost of the war, the British turned to their American colonies. Series of laws and acts were passed to raise revenue for the post-war debt. These acts enraged many Americans which eventually led to the American Revolution. The first act the parliament imposed was the Sugar Act. The act increased the tax on sugar and various products entering the empire from non-British ports (Jones, 144). To reinforce the Sugar Act, several courts were established with a single appointed judge. With the establishment of these courts, the Americans lost their right to be trialed by jury, which increased the resentment toward the British Government. In addition to the Sugar Act, acts such as the Stamp Act, Declaratory Act, Townsend Act, and Intolerable Acts pushed the Americans to the brink of revolution. The ignition of the revolution sparked from the Boston Massacre in 1770, when the British soldiers opened ...

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...en century shared a big flaw. In these two documents, neither of them addressed the issue of slavery and women’s rights. The declaration focused mainly on the rights of adult white males. Overall, the two revolutions shared similarities and differences despite being occurred half way across the globe at a different time period.

The American and French Revolution are similar, but also different in many ways. The revolutions symbolized change during this time period. People are starting to believe that democracy and popular sovereignty can be achieved. The two revolutions showed the world that people can resist the king and establish their own way of governing. Although

"French Revolution (1787-99)." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 10 Nov. 2013. .

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