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In 1789, Louis XVI of France was in desperate need of money. He had already taxed the peasants so much that they couldn't give any more, so he turned to the noblility, which at that point wasn't paying any taxes. The enraged upper class forced him to call a meeting of the Estates-General. Each class was represented by one Estate, meaning the peasants, who made up 98% of the population, only got one vote out of the three. They formed the National Assembly. https://bit.ly/3tPgUVi
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After being locked out of the meeting, the members of the third Estate broke into a tennis court and they all took an oath that they would refuse to leave until they could write up a new constitution for France. They believed that the lower class was being completely overlooked by the nobility and royalty, and wanted more rights and fairer laws for people in the lower class. https://www.britannica.com/event/Tennis-Court-Oath
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When tension was rising in France, Louis XVI feared for life and hired an army called the Swiss Guard to protect him from any rebels. The people of Paris, however, believed this army was there to kill them, and they prepared to defend themselves. They stormed and raided the Bastille, an old prison, looking for any sort of gunpowder or weapon they could use to protect themselves. Throughout the rest of the summer, the violence continued.
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After outrage from across the country, Louis XVI believed he was in danger from his own citizens. He hired his own security, known as the Swiss Guard, to protect him. The peasants believed this army was hired to try and kill them, so they stormed an old prison called the Bastille looking for any sort of weaponry to defend themselves. Since that point, for the rest of the year, peasants began killing members of the 2nd estate, beginning the Great Fear. https://bit.ly/3qc9WHE
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The Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen was based on the United States' Declaration of Independence that had been written a decade before. It included many of the ideas of the Enlightenment thinkers, such as the idea that a government only exists to serve its citizens. It ended with the saying "Liberte, Egalite, Fraternite" meaning liberty, equality, brotherhood. Despite this, nobles continued to party while peasants continued to starve.
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Over 700,000 African slaves were brought to St Dominque by the French. Many of them died from harsh conditions and disease. When the Declaration of Rights of Man and Citizen was published, free black people and runaway slaves weren't sure how it pertained to them, but the slaves still in captivity organized their own rebellion. The white colonists, worried what would happen if the slaves revolted, ended up killing hundreds of slaves in an attempt to stop it.
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Enlightenment thinker Mary Wollstonecraft, known for her advocacy for women and children, publishes “A Vindication of the Rights of Women”. In it, she describes how women in her time are oppressed, and how they cannot make use of their full potential with the situation they’re in. It discusses how because women are forced into this role so early on, most don’t even question it too much. https://bit.ly/3klYze8
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After France adopted a new constitution that outlined a constitutional monarchy, some citizens weren’t happy. It gave voting rights to certain men, but did not include mulattoes or black people. A more radical group called the Jacobins, led by Maximilien Robespierre, formed to further the revolution. As Louis XVI continued to veto laws, the Jacobins wondered if they even need a king at all. Louis XVI eventually agreed to give rights to free black people and mulattoes.
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For many years, the Spanish had control of St Domingue and the surrounding areas. After long fights with the native peoples, they brought in many slaves to do their labor instead. Over time, though, more and more French people come into St Domingue to settle or do business. Once they realize the value of the land, France sends a representative to claim control of it. The Spanish try and fight to keep St Domingue, but it ultimately ends up as a French territory.
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During the French Revolution, there was a lot of uncertainty about how the government was going to run, and this period of time, the French Republic, represents the fall of monarchy and a new type of government for France. During this time, they also established the National Convention, a type of parliament for France. They abolished monarchy entirely and crafted a new constitution that allowed for democracy and legislature.
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Louis XVI and his family tried to escape in disguises, but someone was able to recognize his face from the French currency, and he was captured and taken back to Paris. Leaders in favor of a constitutional monarchy believed that Louis XVI would not be up for the job. He was seen as a traitor, and his entire family was thrown in prison. Soon after being put in prison, he was executed, with his wife following not long after.
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After the execution of Louis XVI, Robespierre and his followers gain power in France. In trying to keep his power and further the revolution, he had thousands of French citizens murdered for being “enemies of the revolution” even if he didn’t have a strong case or any case at all to do so. Despite this, he said it was completely necessary to the revolution. Even after all that, he remained unsuccessful.
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Robespierre killed many people throughout his reign of terror, and he wasn’t managing to solve any of France’s problems. He already wasn’t popular, but seeing as how the only thing he did when he was in charge was kill citizens of France, people in power grew tired of him very quickly. They ultimately decided the best way to stop his bloodshed was to arrest and execute him, as well as other radical leaders. https://bit.ly/3kqZXMz
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After Robespierre's reign of terror ended when he was arrested and executed, a group of five men formed called the Directory was put in charge. They successfully restored some order to France, helped the economy recover, and made peace with Spain and Prussia, as well as encouraging education by setting up elite schools throughout the country. Although they were able to make peace with Spain and Prussia, they still fought with Austria and England. https://bit.ly/3aaxdEn
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Fighting broke out between the supporters of L'Ouverture, who were poorer former slaves and free black people, and the supporters of Rigaud, who were wealthier and better educated former slaves and free black people, both of which wanted control of St Dominque. This fighting, known as the War of Knives went on to last over a year. L'Ouverture got help from the English and was able to outlast Rigaud and take control of the island.
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After radicalists destroyed any form of constitution made before Robespierre's reign of terror, the new Directory in charge of France created their own constitution. After the Directory began to lose control again, they decided to give power over to Napoleon, who was a strong military leader during the French Revolution. He was able to successfully rule and end the chaos and revolution in France. https://bit.ly/3p97wZ6
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After winning the War of Knives, L'Ouverture is declared the new governor of St Domingue. He creates his own constitution that outlaws slavery and gives all citizens equal rights. In addition, though, he also outlawed Vodou, the religion of a majority of the people in St Domingue. This angered many citizens, and they could not do a lot about it because L'Ouverture also made himself governor for life. His new rules caused many to want to rebel.
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Once news of L'Ouverture's new constitution reached France, infuriated Napoleon, believing it gave citizens too much freedom. Napoleon sent French troops to take back St Domingue, and while there, half of L'Ouverture's troops also joined the French, since L'Ouverture had made them French citizens. The citizens that joined the French, though, didn't know they planned to reinstate slavery. General Jean-Jacques Dessalines was able to capture L'Ouverture.
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In his mission to gain complete control of the island of St Domingue, all Dessalines had to do was take control of the former Spanish colony, which was still being guarded by some troops. Dessalines tore the white from the French flag, leaving it with just the blue and red stripes, and wrote “Liberty or Death” on it. This became their sign to rally up the troops to fight, and later became the Haitian flag.
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After the capture of L'Ouverture, the revolution continued to rage on. All of the troops on St Domingue banded together to drive out the French. Napoleon had underestimated just how many troops would be necessary to hold power in St Domingue, and they were able to completely drive the French out by burning anything that could be useful to their troops. Eventually, Napoleon pulled his troops out, and Dessalines proclaimed Haiti's independence.
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Seeing Haiti earn its independence, many Mexican citizens wanted independence from Spain. Native Americans, mestizos, and some Creole rallied together to call for independence and the end of slavery. The few leaders of the rebellion were killed for what they were saying, but that didn't stop them. Scared of a new constitution, a creole named Iturbide helped overthrow the Mexican government. He was later thrown out himself as Mexico declared its independence.
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Simon Bolivar was a creole who helped countries earn their independence. He took advantage of what was going on with the other colonies and tried to free his own home of Venezuela, but was unsuccessful at first. He fled Venezuela, and eventually went on to fight off Spanish troops in Columbia, before returning to his home of Venezuela and finally driving the Spanish out of Caracas. After freeing his home colony, he went south to other countries.
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The Battle of Boyaca between the Spanish and the South American citizens resulted in a victory for the South Americans, and the independence of what is now Columbia. Bolivar led his troops over the Andes mountain for the final battle with the Spanish, where he was able to capture thousands of Spanish soldiers and their commanders. After the win of this battle, he went on to create Gran Columbia. https://bit.ly/37QD53X
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After freeing Venezuela and Columbia, Simon Bolivar traveled south to countries such as Ecuador, Bolivia, and Peru. When moving south, he worked with Jose de San Martin, another creole. San Martin had a strong military background, having gone to military school in Europe. Although he was a strong military, he handed his troops over to Bolivar to finish fighting off the Spanish in some areas.
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Gran Columbia, meaning Great Columbia, was a collection of countries that had recently won their independence that banded together. The state was created by Simon Bolivar to unite the countries and to help them recover from their wars against the Spanish. Gran Columbia covered present-day Columbia, Venezuela, Ecuador, and Peru, among a few other smaller areas. As well as help each other's economies, Gran Columbia fought off European mercenaries.
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