French and Haitian Revolutions

By bmillett

  • Meeting of the Estates General

    The beginning of the French Revolution was thought to be when the last meeting of the Estates General occurred. King Louis XVI summoned them to meet for the first time in nearly 200 years. The Estates General is made up of all three estates and they go to vote or discuss issues, except the Third Estate never really had a say in anything. So, on June 17th the Third Estate broke away from the Estates General and then formed the National Assembly. (britannica.com/SparkNotes.com)

  • Storming of Bastille

    Tension soon rose over the failure of the Estates General and a scramble for weapons broke. The revolutionaries raided the Paris Town Hall in pursuit of them. They found few weapons, but a lot more of gunpowder. They then used this the next day when the National Assembly stormed Bastille, a medieval fortress and prison. From this the revolutionaries gained a symbolic victory over the Old Regime that said they were not to be messed with. (SparkNotes.com)

  • Declaration of Rights of Man and Citizen

    This was a document that established sovereignty among the French people. It made one thing very clear: every person was a Frenchman and equal. All the citizens loved the Declaration, but the Kings and Nobles didn't appreciate it as much. This document was very powerful and ended the Ancient Regime. (SparkNotes.com)

  • March On Versailles

    The food crisis was growing and growing, so the women who had to feed their families every day took action. They stormed the City Hall in Paris and then marched to Versailles, followed by the National Guard for extra safety. Because of this, the King was forced to take responsibility for this problem and was imprisoned in the Tuileries along with his family. (SparkNotes.com)

  • The French National Assembly Granted Free Blacks in Saint Domigue

    The National Assembly accepted a petition of rights for "free citizens of color" from Saint Domingue. This led to the abolition of slavery. It also achieved independence in Haiti. (Marvist.com)

  • Gens De Colour Demands Equal Rights From France

    The National Assembly did not apply the Declaration to France's Caribbean colonies which continued slavery and excluded the Gens De Colour. But, they continued to fight back and push for their rights. Soon, it was decided that free men of color must be treated as equal citizens. With all of this chaos going on, Spain and Great Britain competed to take advantage of Saint Domigue and launch military campaigns to capture the colony. (quad.lib.umich.edu/ classroom.monticello.org)

  • Beheading of King Louis XIV

    The King was ultimately found guilty for treason and was executed at the guillotine. A couple months after, the same thing happened to his wife. After their deaths, wars continued to grow and Prussian and Austrian forces pushed into the French countryside. (SparkNotes.com)

  • Reign of Terror

    Robespierre and the Jacobins focused on addressing economic and political threats with France. But, Robespierre began accusing and pointing fingers at anyone whose beliefs seemed counterrevolutionary. People who he accused started to be executed and by the end of his reign, anywhere from 15,000-50,000 citizens were beheaded. (SparkNotes.com)

  • French Forces Admit Defeat to Slave Armies and Evacuate Forces

    France had to back out of the war because they had already lost 50,000 men in their military efforts. They accepted defeat and evacuated their troops. This event proclaimed Haiti's Independence and the colony "Saint Domingue" is abolished forever. (classroom.moticello.org/ blogs.ransomeverglades.org)

  • Napoleon is Emperor

    Napoleon renewed the traditional French pomp and etiquette in hopes that people would respect him more and he would gain more power. Napoleon also tried to recreate aristocracy during his ruling. Democracy was also something he tried to enforce. (SparkNotes.com)

  • Saint Domingue is Abolished

    Napoleon was defeated in this war and had to withdraw from the war. This was because so many of his men died. This war resulted in Haiti now being a free republic and slavery being abolished. It also terrified British plantation owners in the West Indies where there was a real fear that the same thing could happen to them. (aboltion.e2bn.org)