The American and French Revolution: Similarities and Differences Essay Example
The American and French Revolution: Similarities and Differences
During the late 18th century, two great revolutions occurred, the American Revolution and the French Revolution. Between the years of 1775-1783, The American Revolution was fought between the thirteen British colonies in North America and Great Britain, their mother country. Thomas Hutchinson, the royal governor of Massachusetts at the time, sums the reason for war best, saying "No middle ground exists between the supreme authority of Parliament and the total dependence of the colonies: it is impossible there should be two independent legislatures in one and the same state'" (Van Tyne 135). The American Revolution was effectively a "conservative" advancement, and was fought to preserve the independence America had thoroughly expounded since the 1620s, when Great Britain's government appeared to abandon the colonies. Samuel Eliot Morison pointed out:
"The American Revolution was not fought to obtain freedom, but to preserve the liberties that Americans already had as colonials. Independence was no conscious goal, secretly nurtured in cellar or jungle by bearded conspirators, but a reluctant last resort, to preserve 'life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness'" (Van Tyne 87).
America was the child of England, but not the child of the England of 1760. Every English institution placed in the colonies had developed on purely American lines, shaped by the social, political, and economic conditions unique to America. The result was that the two unconsciously grew apart, and the colonies had reached a point in their development where they could govern themselves better than they could be governed by a power beyond the sea. The French Revolution, lasting from 1789 to 1799, was a major transformation of the society and political system of France. Eighteenth-century France was the largest and most heavily populated country in Western Europe, and also Europe's supreme power. Unfortunately, France was
During the late 18th century, two great revolutions occurred, the American Revolution and the French Revolution. Between the years of 1775-1783, The American Revolution was fought between the thirteen British colonies in North America and Great Britain, their mother country. Thomas Hutchinson, the royal governor of Massachusetts at the time, sums the reason for war best, saying "No middle ground exists between the supreme authority of Parliament and the total dependence of the colonies: it is impossible there should be two independent legislatures in one and the same state'" (Van Tyne 135). The American Revolution was effectively a "conservative" advancement, and was fought to preserve the independence America had thoroughly expounded since the 1620s, when Great Britain's government appeared to abandon the colonies. Samuel Eliot Morison pointed out:
"The American Revolution was not fought to obtain freedom, but to preserve the liberties that Americans already had as colonials. Independence was no conscious goal, secretly nurtured in cellar or jungle by bearded conspirators, but a reluctant last resort, to preserve 'life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness'" (Van Tyne 87).
America was the child of England, but not the child of the England of 1760. Every English institution placed in the colonies had developed on purely American lines, shaped by the social, political, and economic conditions unique to America. The result was that the two unconsciously grew apart, and the colonies had reached a point in their development where they could govern themselves better than they could be governed by a power beyond the sea. The French Revolution, lasting from 1789 to 1799, was a major transformation of the society and political system of France. Eighteenth-century France was the largest and most heavily populated country in Western Europe, and also Europe's supreme power. Unfortunately, France was