French Revolution & Enlightenment: Key Concepts and Figures

Absolutism

belief that a ruler has total power

Divine Right of Kings

idea that kings get authority from God

Louis XIV

French absolute monarch known as the "Sun King"

Mercantilism

economic system where colonies benefit the mother country

Colonialism

control of one country by another country

Navigation Acts

British laws controlling colonial trade

Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade

forced movement of enslaved Africans across the Atlantic

Chattel slavery

slavery where people are treated as property

The Enlightenment

movement emphasizing reason and individual rights

reason

using logic and evidence to understand the world

skepticism

questioning ideas instead of accepting them blindly

state of nature

life without government or laws

Thomas Hobbes

philosopher who believed strong governments were necessary

John Locke

philosopher who believed in natural rights

Liberalism

belief in liberty, equality, and individual rights

Republicanism

government where citizens elect representatives

Zenger Trial

court case that helped establish freedom of the press

Zenger Trial

case supporting freedom of speech and press

Navigation Acts

laws limiting colonial trade to benefit Britain

Albany Plan

early proposal to unite the colonies

Treaty of Paris (1763)

ended the French and Indian War

Pontiac's Rebellion

Native American uprising against British control

Proclamation Line

boundary stopping colonial settlement west of Appalachians

Writs of assistance

British search warrants used in colonies

Sugar Act

tax on sugar and molasses in colonies

Stamp Act (1765)

tax on printed materials in colonies

Sons/Daughters of Liberty

groups protesting British taxes

Boston Massacre (1770)

British soldiers killed five colonists

Boston Tea Party

protest against tea taxes in Boston Harbor

Intolerable Acts

harsh British punishments after Tea Party

First and Second Continental Congress

meetings of colonial leaders during tensions with Britain

George Washington

commander of Continental Army and first U.S. president

Patriots & Loyalists

Patriots supported independence; Loyalists supported Britain

Thomas Paine

author of Common Sense supporting independence

Thomas Jefferson

main author of Declaration of Independence

Declaration of Independence (July 4, 1776)

document declaring independence from Britain

Treaty of Paris (1783)

ended the American Revolution

Louis XVI

French king during the French Revolution

Lafayette

French noble who supported American and French Revolutions

Robespierre

radical French revolutionary leader during Reign of Terror

Sans culottes

working-class French revolutionaries

Jacobins

radical revolutionary political group

Olympe de Gouges

advocate for women's rights during French Revolution

liberalism

belief in freedom and equality under law

Estates General

assembly representing the three social classes in France

Old Order/Old Regime

social and political system before French Revolution

The Bastille (July 14, 1789)

prison stormed at start of French Revolution

The Great Fear

panic and peasant uprisings in rural France

Tennis Court Oath (1789)

promise to create a new constitution

National Assembly

revolutionary government formed by Third Estate

Declaration of the Rights of Man

document declaring natural rights and equality

French Constitution (1791)

limited monarchy and created constitutional government

Committee of Public Safety / Reign of Terror

group that led executions to protect revolution

The Directory

weak French government after Reign of Terror

Napoleon Bonaparte

military leader who became ruler of France

Napoleonic Code (1803)

law code promoting equality before the law

St. Domingue

French colony that became Haiti

Haitian Revolution (1791-1804)

successful slave revolt creating Haiti

Code Noir/Slavery in St. Domingue

French laws regulating slavery in colonies

Slave Revolt of 1791

beginning of Haitian Revolution

Vincent Oge

free man of color who fought for equal rights in Haiti

Toussaint L'Ouverture

leader of Haitian Revolution

Haiti after independence

first Black republic after overthrowing French rule

Articles of Confederation

first U.S. government with weak central power

Shays's Rebellion

farmer uprising showing weaknesses of Articles

James Madison

"Father of the Constitution"

Federalism

division of power between national and state governments

Constitutional Convention (1787)/ratification (1789)

meeting that created and approved Constitution

The Great Compromise

created two-house Congress

Checks and Balances

system preventing one branch from becoming too powerful

Three branches of the U.S. government (separation of powers)

legislative, executive, judicial

Three-fifths Compromise

counted enslaved people as 3/5 for representation

Federalists / Anti-Federalists

supporters and opponents of Constitution

United States Bill of Rights (1791)

first ten amendments protecting rights

First Amendment

protects speech, religion, press, assembly, and petition