The French Revolution (1789-1815) was heavily influenced by the philosophes that we read about in Ch. 17 and the ideas of the Enlightenment. Also, the American Revolution against the British monarchy and the subsequent American Constitution was extremely important to the leaders of the French Revolution.
Some Enlightenment ideas that were used in the French Revolution were:
1. Natural rights - life, liberty, property
2. Equality for all men
3. Social Contract - government derives its power from the people, not God
4. Religious freedom
5. Separation of powers - executive, judicial, legislative
6. Written constitution
7. Voting for citizens (ability to pick their leaders)
8. Free speech, freedom of the press, freedom to assemble
9. Schools were improved, not dependent upon the Church
However, there were times, during all four stages of the French Revolution that some of these Enlightenment ideas were betrayed by the leaders (and mobs) of the French Revolution. Explain in your answer how the Revolution both expanded the ideas of the Enlightenment and also betrayed those ideas.
Due Monday, April 27 by the beginning of our class period. 250 words minimum.
I started thinking about what the Haitian ambassador to the U.S., Raymond Joseph, had said here on this clip from the Rachel Maddow Show below about the impact of Haitian independence on both America and South America:
In summary, the U.S. greatly benefitted from Haiti's independence b/c they were France's last major foothold in the northern part of the western hemisphere, therefore it made little military sense for them to hold onto the Louisiana territory. So Thomas Jefferson and Congress worked out the deal to buy it for an insanely low bargain basement price of .03 cents an acre. Just think of all the benefits we reaped from the Louisiana Purchase.
For South America, several of the countries owe their independence to Simon Bolivar who used Haiti as a launching pad for his revolutionary army. For instance, here's an excerpt from a Bolivar letter written December 23,1822; concerning the strength of Haiti, and the vulnerability of Colombia:
"I then cast my eyes over the endless coastline of Colombia, threatened by the fleets of every nation, by the Europeans whose colonies surround us, and by the Africans of Haiti whose strength is mightier than primeval fire."
Another quote written March 11, 1825; concerning the military tactics Bolivar wished to implement at this stage of the war against Spain:
"The wars in Russia and Haiti should be our model on some points, but without the terrible type of self-destruction that those countries adopted." 1
Without the sacrifice and support of the Haitian people, the countries in South America and the U.S. may not have become as prosperous or gained their independence as quickly throughout history. If the Spanish hadn't been hassled by the revolutionary movements, they might have been able to bother the United States or reconquer Mexico.
Questions:
1. Do the countries of America and Peru, Colombia, Venezuela, and Bolivia owe Haiti anything? Why or why not?
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Cool World History Links - Ya know you want to look
