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Montesquieu publishes book, On the Spirit of Laws
Montesquieu strongly supported seperation of powers and checks and balances. "One the Spirit of Laws" was about how seperation of powers keeps anyone from having too much control of the government. -
America declares independence
The Colonists declare their independence because George III has been very unfair to them. He has taxed them without giving them a say in Congress and did not let them sell their most valuable goods to anywhere other than England. -
French Revolution
Pesants in France wanted a new society where everyone was equal and had the right to "liberty, property, security, and resistance to oppression". In order to make this dream a reality, they executed many nobles and other "enemies of the Revolution". -
Napoleon overthrows the Directory through a coup d%u2019etat
After winning some war and being a hero, Napoleon came back to France where he became a consul (of of three people in charge). He then became the only consul and was a dictator -
Napoleon crowns himself emperor, begins to create a vast European Empire
After being a consul, Napoleon decided to become the emperor of France. Instead of being crowned by the Pope, he crowned himself, symbolozing that he is more powerful. He was not content to rule only France, he also wanted to rule the Europe and the Americas. -
Haiti wins freedom from France
Originally called Saint Domingue, Haiti was the first Latin American colony to declare independence. Toussaint L'Ouverture became the leader of the enslaved Africans of the colony and freed them all even though he was an inexperienced fighter. He was arrested by the French and died in prison. Jean-Jacpues Dessalines then took over the fight and the colony declared its independence. -
Padre Hidalgo calls for Mexican Independence
Padre Miguel Hidalgo was a preist in a little village called Dolores. On September 16th, he rang the bells of his church and issued a call for rebellion against the Spanish rulers. -
Napoleon is defeated at the Battle of Waterloo
After winning and losing some wars, Napoleon came back to France from Elba and the British prepared for battle against him near Waterloo. There, Napoleon lost to The Duke of Wellington.
