- The French Revolution and the American Revolution are similar and different in many ways. From political and religious reasons to the time period and the actions taken, a lot can be said about these two major events in history. Both revolutions caused dramatic changes to occur all over the world.
- The American Revolution started in 1776 and was between the Thirteen American Colonies and Great Britain. The main cause for the revolution was the unfair taxation Great Britain put on the colonies. They were the Stamp Act, the Townshend Acts, and the Tea Act. The Tea Act led to the Boston Tea Party which was when a group of colonists dressed as Native Americans boarded three ships loaded with taxed tea and threw the tea into the Boston Harbor. The Boston Tea Party was one of the key events that sent the revolution rolling. Other causes were various acts suchs as the Sugar Act, the Quebec Act and the Boston Port Bill (paying for the lost tea from the BTP). In 1772, Samuel Adams created the Committee of Correspondence. In 1774, the Continental Congress was formed, right after the Boston Tea Party took place. Shortly after in 1775, a British commander sent troops to Concord to seize weapons. When the British got to Concord, what is famously known as the War of Lexington and Concord took place, and the Americans won. A few months later, the tables turned as the British took the Battle of Bunker Hill outside of Boston. Though the colonies lost, the severe death toll of the British caused them to take the Americans more seriously. Some of the most important men in the American Revolution were Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and John Adams.
- http://www.buzzle.com/articles/summary-of-the-american-revolution.html
- The French Revolution began in 1789 and was inspired by the American Revolution. French society during the ancient regime was divided into three social classes: Third Estate, Second Estate, and First Estate. France was in heavy debt thanks to King Louis XIV, and to compensate, the government taxed the Third Estate (97% of population) more money than they earned. The wealthy estates, Second and First, were not taxed because King Louis XVI didn't want to anger the nobles. The majority of the French population was angered and starving due to the poor harvests of that year. The people also strongly disliked their queen, Marie Antoinette. The catalyst that triggered the revolution to begin was the Storming of the Bastille on July 14th, 1789. The Third Estate made the French Revolution what it was. A new governing system was created instead of the Estates General called the National Assembly. During the "Reign of Terror", at least 20,000 people were beheaded. Parisian women marched to Versailles and captured the king and queen, arrested them, and held a public execution.
- http://www.articlemyriad.com/comparison-french-american-revolution/
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