Prompt
- Prompt: Compare the American Revolution to the French Revolution
- Categories: Compare the goals and outcomes of the revolutions
- Time Period: 18th century
Documents
Document 1: Samuel Adams (#1)
- Main idea: Enlightenment rights of man
- Outside evidence: Locke or Rousseau (Thomas Jefferson)
- HAPP: As a colonist Adams would have made this argument for his own benefit and he would have been trying to convince his audience to agree to break from British rule.
Document 2: Articles of Confederation (#3)
- Main idea: Powers of the new government, not so dissimilar from the powers of the British government.
- Outside evidence: This would later be replaced by the Constitution.
- HAPP: official document written by the colonists to establish and justify their government.
Document 3: Napoleon's letter on Internal Situation (#4)
- Main idea: Establishes a line of succession after Napoleon dies
- Outside evidence: The line of succession that had existed before the French Revolution (Louis XIV - XVI)
- HAPP: Napoleon climbed up through the military to overthrow the government and then establish imperial rule in France
Document 4: National Convention (#6)
- Main idea: Abolished monarchy in France
- Outside evidence: Jacobins pushed the revolution in a radical direction eventually executing Louis XVI
- HAPP: The members of the convention were making the argument to overturn their form of government.
Document 5: Paintings of Napoleon and Washington (#7)
- Main idea: Both pose the leaders as mythical figures who saved their countries
- Outside evidence: neither paintings actually capture what happened in the events that are supposed to be representing.
- HAPP: forms of propaganda
Document Grouping
Group #1: Docs 1, 2 and 5
Category: Am. Rev. goals and outcomes
Topic Sentence: The American Revolution began with the goals of creating Enlightenment freedoms for all people, however, the outcome was the development of a strong central government in which all people did not receive freedom
Category: Am. Rev. goals and outcomes
Topic Sentence: The American Revolution began with the goals of creating Enlightenment freedoms for all people, however, the outcome was the development of a strong central government in which all people did not receive freedom
Group #2: Docs 3, 4 and 5
Category: French Revolution goals and outcomes
Topic Sentence: At the beginning of the French Revolution radical Jacobins pushed for the elimination of the monarchy, however, Napoleon's coup de etat would eventually establish his personal imperial rule making himself the monarch in France.
Category: French Revolution goals and outcomes
Topic Sentence: At the beginning of the French Revolution radical Jacobins pushed for the elimination of the monarchy, however, Napoleon's coup de etat would eventually establish his personal imperial rule making himself the monarch in France.
Thesis
Although both the American Revolution and French Revolution were fought for and based on Enlightenment thought, the outcomes of these revolutions established strong central governments like the Federal government in American and Napoleon's Empire in France and therefore not upholding their intended goals.
Contextualization
1. Enlightenment - explain what it was and why it started
2. Locke, Rousseau, Montesquieu
3. Bill of Rights / Rights of Man
2. Locke, Rousseau, Montesquieu
3. Bill of Rights / Rights of Man
Evidence beyond the Documents
1. The Constitution
2. Line of Succession from Louis XIV - Louis XVI
2. Line of Succession from Louis XIV - Louis XVI