American and French Revolutions

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Overview

The American Revolution of 1776 and the French Revolution that began in 1789 were the two founding events of modern democratic politics. Both claimed that government rests on the consent of the governed and that people hold rights by nature, not by grant of a king. They also showed the limits of those claims: slavery survived in the United States, women were excluded from full citizenship, and in France revolution turned into mass violence. Modern arguments about rights, republics, reform and terror begin here.

Context

In the eighteenth century most states were monarchies with privileged nobles and churches. Enlightenment writers questioned inherited authority. Britain's costly wars left it seeking revenue from its American colonies, while France, financially strained by war and debt, faced a crisis of royal finance. Both revolutions were shaped by that mix of ideas and fiscal pressure.