Influence Of The American Revolution On The English Bill Of Rights

The English Bill of Rights precedent for other governments led the idea of unalienable rights to become a hot topic. Citizens under the French and British monarchies believed that “The promise of those rights can be denied, suppressed, or just remain unfilled, but it does not die (Hunt, 175).” Therefore, our rights still exist even if our government suppresses them. Those rights will always be there no matter how much the government tries to belittle them. The uprising of peoples’ belief in their own rights spurred the creation of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen. However, the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen didn’t fight for the rights of women, blacks, or minority religions. This led women, blacks,
and minority religions to start protesting for equal rights. For example, Olympe de Gouges, a feminist writer in France, wrote a counter to the Declaration of the Rights of Man, arguing for the equal rights of women. These revolts for women’s equal rights caused many French citizens to question if only men and Catholics deserved natural rights. Fortunately for women, Enlightenment thinkers values were defined in ways contrary to the accepted social views of gender in the eighteenth century. They believed that “Property belongs to both sexes whether united or separated (Olympe de Gouges).” Olympe de Gouges doctrine influenced feminist movements that sought to bring equality to the gender hierarchy. Yet, unlike today, very few men during the eighteenth century fought for gender equality. However, that didn’t stop men and women from fighting the same cause. The Women’s March on Versailles during the French Revolution showed that women and men could be equals. Women and men marched from Paris to Versailles together. They captured and brought the King and his family back to Paris to see the terrible living conditions that they had caused. The Women’s March on Versailles showed how women were politically relevant, and how men and women could work as equals. Thus, Enlightenment thinkers promotion for the equal rights of women influenced women to fight for their rights. They were now allowed to have “wickedness” in relations to sex, an easy divorce, and property ownership, all of which didn’t happen before. Enlightenment thinkers ideals for the protection of unalienable rights and sovereignty for everyone sparked the Age of Revolutions.
An example of this is the American Revolution. During the American Revolution, colonists felt that they were not regarded as British citizens, and decided to separate from the British government. The colonists based their government on the Enlightenment theories of sovereignty and unalienable rights so that everyone could have a voice in government. One of the amendments listed in the U.S. Constitution stated that, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or of the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances (Joint Resolution of Congress Proposing Twelve Amendments of the U.S. Constitution).” This was the first draft of the Bill of Rights, that is now adopted in U.S. Constitution. The Bill of Rights emphasizes the protection of individual liberties and puts limits on governmental power. The colonist's rebellion of the British monarch through their constitution and Bill of Rights wound up overthrowing the rule of the British crown. The colonies rebellion for their rights inspired a worldwide movement to remove all monarchies from political power. Therefore, while contact with the colonies was important for God, Gold, and Glory, it wasn’t as influential as the Enlightenment, which helped the colonies establish their rights and their own
government. The American Revolution was also a direct inspiration of the citizens of France. French citizens decided to overthrow the French monarchy and establish rights for the people, like America. By adopting documents like The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen which stated that, “The principle of sovereignty resides essentially in the nation. No body nor individual may exercise any authority which does not proceed directly from the nation (Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen),” French citizens emphasized the limits that they were putting on governmental power. For example, the power of a nation should only reside with the people. This would allow the people to reform or abolish “inadequate’ government like they did during the Reign of Terror. The Reign of Terror purged enemies of the revolution to protect the country from foreign invaders and anti-revolutionaries. This period in the French Revolution didn’t target a specific social class, but if you were suspected or accused of treason you were killed. The Reign of Terror in France led to an increase in French nationalism, the creation of the middle class, and the Haitian Revolution. Haiti first started off as a French colony. However, when the French government proved to be unjust, the French colonists decided to strip themselves from slavery and France. The ex-slave Toussaint-Louverture, who became the leader of the Haitian revolt against the French, stated, “ ‘I want Liberty and Equality to reign in Saint Domingue. I work to bring them into existence. Unite yourselves to us, brothers [fellow insurgents], and fight with us for the same cause (Hunt, 166).’” Citizens of Haiti like Toussaint-Louverture read the Declaration of the Rights of Man and wanted to have the unalienable rights that he red all French men were guaranteed. Fortunately, they were able to rebel because of the Great Fear happening in France at the time. The massive violence in France left little room for them to govern Haiti. Haiti’s chance of a lifetime became the first successful slave rebellion in the modern era. They were able to create an independent state run by people of color, which is revolutionary, especially for the eighteenth century. Therefore, the First Age of Revolutions would not have happened, much less be successful, without Enlightenment thinkers who advocated for natural rights. Hence, Enlightenment thinkers were the basis for the First Age of Revolutions, therefore influencing it and it’s outcomes. In conclusion, the Enlightenment was the most influential out of the choices listed. It inspired the first Age of Revolutions, reformed the colonies to create the precedent we have today and helped the Reformation attract more anti-Catholics.