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A period of time where philosophers used logic and reason to form new ideas of government and society. These ideas would later influence revolutions for democracy and independence.
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Thomas Hobbes, the earliest Enlightenment thinker, wrote this book to express his opinions of government. He argued that people must give up freedoms in order to receive protection from their government in what he called Social Contract. This book influenced other thinkers to share their ideas, as well as providing a basic goal for the revolutions of the Enlightenment. More info - Link texthttps://plato.stanford.edu/entries/hobbes-moral/
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John Locke was another early Enlightenment thinker who had his own ideas of the purpose government had in society. Locke believed government had the job of protecting a person's natural rights, which were rights all people had from birth. His ideas were shared by future thinkers, and his ideas gave revolutionaries an idea of what they should expect from their government. More info- Link texthttps://oll.libertyfund.org/page/john-locke-two-treatises-1689
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King Louis XVI was a part of the Bourbon family, which had been ruling France since as early as the 1500s. Louis XVI was an ruled as an absolute monarch, which meant that he could ignore complaints from his people without any consequences. However, the peasants of France would reach a point where they could not watch their king do nothing about their issues, so the French Revolution began. More info-Link text http://en.chateauversailles.fr/node/5920/louis-xvi
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The citizens of France were upset that the nobility paid significantly less taxes than themselves, so they got the King to call a meeting of the Estates-General, where all of France got to meet and vote. The First Estate was made up of the clergy, the Second Estate contained the nobility, and the Third Estate represented all others. More Info-[Link text(https://www.timetoast.com)http://en.chateauversailles.fr/discover/history/key-dates/summoning-estates-general-1789
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A revolution made up of the Third Estate of France, which included around 98% of the population. These people rebelled against King Louis XVI because they were being taxed to the point of starvation, and the nobility would do nothing to help them. This caused the Third Estate to create a new constitution for a peaceful change of power. However, the movement ended up turning violent. King Louis XVI, his wife Marie Antoinette, and thousands of other people were executed.
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An educated section of the Third Estate known as the bourgeoisie met to find a way to get better rights for the Third Estate. These people were educated in the ideas of the Enlightenment, and they hoped to get better rights for the people. Their group became known as the National Assembly. While in a tennis court, they pledged to never stop until a new constitution was formed. More info-Link texthttp://web.stanford.edu/~danedels/FrenchRevolutionNationalAssembly.html
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After the Tennis Court Oath was pledged by the National Assembly, King Louis XVI felt that he was being threatened. In response, he hired a group of soldiers called the Swiss Guard. By arming himself, the king made the Third Estate feel attacked, so they raided a prison called the Bastille for weapons and supplies. These events were the start of a violent turn for the revolution. More info-Link texthttps://origins.osu.edu/milestones/july-2014-storming-bastille
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After storming the Bastille for gunpowder and weapons to protect themselves, the Third Estate became armed. This worried the nobility of the Second Estate, who were forced to hide or live in fear of being killed by the Third Estate. During the rest of the summer of 1789, peasants would kill many nobles, causing France to fall into chaos. More info-Link texthttp://wiki.engageeducation.org.au/history-revolutions/french-revolution/ancien-regime/revolts-and-great-fear/
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The National Assembly worked to form a new constitution for France using the thoughts and ideas of many Enlightenment thinkers to gain rights and freedoms for the Third Estate. Some of these freedoms included freedom, equality, and brotherhood. Ultimately, the document was completed, but Louis XVI would not cooperate. The nobility continued to live extravagantly while the Third Estate suffered. More info-Link texthttp://www.columbia.edu/~iw6/docs/decright.html
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Haiti, or St. Dominque, was a French colony in the Caribbean. However, the number of slaves on the island greatly outnumbered the colonists, despite the terrible conditions they were forced to work in. The slaves first rebelled under Dutty Boukman, and later under Touissant L'Ouverture. L'Ouverture fights against France until they outlaw slavery, and he chooses to instead protect the colony from England and Spain. Once St. Dominque is safe, Napoleon tries to take control, but he is forced out.
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St. Domingue was a French colony with a large number of slaves who all faced terrible conditions. These people lacked the rights of the colonists and freed slaves on the island, and a great percentage of them faced the risk of death each year. Eventually, the slaves rose up, and under the leadership of Dutty Boukman, started a rebellion against the French colonists. More info-Link texthttps://www.blackpast.org/global-african-history/haitian-revolution-1791-1804/
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Since the colony of St. Domingue was very wealthy and its owner, France, was having a revolution, Spain and England both went to war in an attempt to claim the colony for themselves. Since the slaves were already starting to rebel in St. Domingue, they joined forces with either Spain or England to capture the colony. This put France in a very difficult position where they had very little they could do. More info- Link texthttp://abolition.e2bn.org/resistance_46.html
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Radicals known as Jacobins began to take control of the revolution as violence began. These people, led by Maximillien Robespierre, believed France did not need a king. They found this to be true after King Louis XVI continued to veto laws the revolutionaries produced. When King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette were caught, the Jacobins ended up killing them both. More info-Link texthttps://origins.osu.edu/milestones/january-2018-execution-louis-xvi
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After Spain and England started to attack St. Domingue, the colony faced a great conflict of control. However, rebel leader Toussaint L'Ouverture still planned to free the slaves of St. Domingue from whatever power planned to enslave them. This act ensured that St. Domingue would eventually gain independence and become Haiti. More info-Link texthttps://www.blackpast.org/global-african-history/loverture-toussaint-1743-1803/
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After King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette were executed, the radical leader Maximillien Robespierre took control of France. During his rule, Robespierre executed thousands of French citizens who were said to be against the revolution, despite there being little evidence of this. Robespierre claimed this was a natural turning point for the nation, but people would not stand it. More info-Link texthttps://sheg.stanford.edu/history-lessons/reign-terror
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As the colony of St. Domingue is attacked by Spain and England, France outlaws slavery across all of their colonies. Since the many slaves living in the colony had sided with Spain and England, they all switched sides to gain freedom. Led by L'Ouverture and Andre Rigaud, Spain and England were driven out of the colony. More info-Link texthttps://blogs.loc.gov/law/2011/01/slavery-in-the-french-colonies/
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After thousands of French citizens were executed during the Reign of Terror, the people had seen enough. They arrested Robespierre and had him executed, which brought an end to the Reign of Terror and the French Revolution. However, with Robespierre dead, the people had no leader to protect them from foreign threats. More info-Link texthttps://ehistory.osu.edu/biographies/maximilien-robespierre
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After the Reign of Terror, a new constitution created a group of five men known as the Directory. These men had to end the chaos in France and get the nation running. They set up schools, helped France's economy, and they dealt with foreign affairs. The Directory chose Napoleon Bonaparte to be the new ruler of France. More info-Link texthttps://www.historydiscussion.net/world-history/the-directory-1795-99-framing-of-the-constitution-of-france-world-history/1414
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Once France outlawed slavery, rebels in St. Domingue fought to protect the island from England and Spain, who they had worked with to take the island. Once these forces were driven out, Touissant L'Ouverture and Andre Rigaud, generals who fought to protect St. Domingue, fought for control of the colony. The War lasted over a year, but L'Ouverture won with help from England. More info-Link texthttps://www.blackpast.org/global-african-history/rigaud-andre-1761-1811/
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Once a new leader was named in France, the revolution finally ends. The Nation Assembly used Enlightenment ideas to form a better government, but the revolution was ultimately driven by violence. With Napoleon in power and Robespierre gone, the people felt that they had chosen a good leader. However, Napoleon had his own motives for his rule. More info-Link texthttp://faculty.randolphcollege.edu/janeausten/reports/frenchrev.htm
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The new constitution outlawed slavery and gave all citizens equal rights. L'Ouverture was made leader for life by the constitution, which angered opposing rebels and Napoleon. Napoleon was angry that one of his colonies was being ruled by someone else, so he sent troops to St. Domingue to take it back. More info-Link texthttps://warwick.ac.uk/fac/arts/english/currentstudents/undergraduate/modules/fulllist/second/en213/syllabus2017-18/haitian_constitution_1801.pdf
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After Napoleon sent troops to St. Domingue, L'Ouverture's push for independence was hindered. Half of his army left to join Napoleon's to gain French citizenship, but L'Ouverture still fought. However, he would be betrayed by his general Jean-Jacques Dessalines, who helped the French capture L'Ouverture. Despite this loss for the revolution, slaves still fought for independence. More info-Link texthttp://slaveryandremembrance.org/people/person/?id=PP052
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After L'Ouverture was captured, rebel groups continued to fight France's troops, eventually uniting across the island to do so. Dessalines used the scorched earth policy to take valuables form the French troops, which hurt the French forces severely. Napoleon saw this and removed his troops from St. Domingue. Dessalines renamed the colony to its native name and declared independence. More info-Link texthttps://today.duke.edu/showcase/haitideclaration/haitiusa.html
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Since men born in Spain had significantly more rights and opportunities than everyone else in Spanish colonies, lower-class citizens began to revolt. The creole, Spaniards born in America, were the first to push for independence. People such as Father Miguel Hidalgo and Jose Morelos helped push people to fight for independence, but it was Augustin de Iturbide who helped Mexico gain its independence. In South America, leaders Simon Bolivar and Jose de San Martin fought to gain independence.
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When Napoleon invaded Spain in 1808, the creole took advantage of Spain's conflict and began to revolt. They demanded equal rights to the Spanish-born men. They fought under Father Miguel Hidalgo, then later Jose Morelos. When the King of Spain had to sign a new constitution, the rebels overthrew the royal minister, creating a new republic in 1824. More info-Link texthttps://www.csus.edu/indiv/o/obriene/art111/readings/historyofmexicanindependence.htm
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Simon Bolivar had led revolutions in Venezuela as early as 1810, but he failed twice and had to flee to Haiti. When he returned, he made the very questionable decision to attack Spain's forces from over the Andes Mountains. However, he was successful, which allowed him to fight Spain for the next few years, driving the opposing troops out of each South American colony. More info-Link texthttps://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Sim%C3%B3n_Bol%C3%ADvar
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As Simon Bolivar's forces moved through South America, he was able to free many countries from Spain. These countries included Ecuador, Bolivia, Venezuela, Peru, and later Argentina. These actions helped Bolivar gain the title "The Liberator." More info-Link texthttp://countrystudies.us/peru/11.htm
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After working with Jose de San Martin, Simon Bolivar was able to free many South American colonies from Spain's control. These nations came together to form what would be known as Gran Colombia in 1821. Due to his success in fighting off Spain's forces, Bolivar was made president of Gran Columbia. Link to more info- https://www.biographyonline.net/politicians/american/simon-bolivar.html
