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Montesquieu publishes book, On the Spirit of Laws
In Montesquieu's On the Spirit of Laws, he proposed that separation of powers would keep any individual or group from gaining total control of the government. He wrote: "power should be a check to power" (checks and balances). His ideas about separation of powers and checks and balances became the basis for the US Constitution. -
America declares independence
In July 1776, the Second Continental Congress issued the Declaration of Independence. This document was written by Thomas Jefferson and was firmly based on the ideas of Locke and the Enlightenment. It reflected ideas in its eloquent argument for natural rights. -
French Revolution
In the 1780s, France's economy was in decline. There was a heavy burden of taxes, the cost of living was rising, and bad weather lead to a shortage of grain. The Second Estate forced King Louis to call a meeting of the Estates General to approve this new tax held at Versailles. A mob searching for gunpowder stormed the Bastille. The Great Fear rolled through France. Maximilien Robespierre, a Jacobin leader set out to build a republic of virtue. The period of his rule was the Reign of Terror. -
Napoleon overthrows the Directory through a coup d'etat
In 1799, the Directory had lost control of the political situation and the confidence of the French. Napoleon was urged to seize political power. The lawmakers voted to dissolve the Directory. They established a group of three consuls, one was Napoleon. A sudden seizure of power like Napoleon's is known as coup d'etat (blow to the state) -
Haiti wins freedom from France
General Dessalines delcared the colony Saint Domingue an independent country. It was the first black colony to free itself from European control. Jean-Jacques Dessalines called the country Haiti- mountainous land. -
Napoleon crowns himself emperor, begins to create a vast European Empire
In 1804, Napoleon decided to make himself emperor, and the French votors supported him. He walked down the long aisle of Nortre Dame Cathedral. The pope waited for him with a crown and Napoleon took the crown from the pope and placed it on his head. Napoleon signaled that he was more powerful than the Church. -
Padre Hidalgo calls for Mexican Independence
Padre Hidalgo firmly believed in Enlightenment ideals. On September 16, 1810, he rang the balls of his village church. When the peasants gathered in the church, he issued a call for rebellion agaisnt the Spanish. It is known as the grito de Dolores- the cry of Dolores. -
Napoleon is defeated at the Battle of Waterloo
After Napoleon was again emperor of France, The British army led by the Duke of Wellington prepared for the battle near the village of Waterloo in Belgium. Napoleon attacked and the British army defended its ground all day. Together, the British and the Prussian forces attacked the French.
