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Montesquieu publishes book, On the Sprit of Laws
Baron de Montesquieu published his book, On the Spirit of Laws. In this book, Montesquieu states that governments must have checks and balances. This doesn't allow one party or person to take control of the government, and this led to several key parts of the Constitution. -
America declares Independence
The thirteen American colonies declared in independence from England on July 4, 1776. The document, called the Declaration of Independence, was issued by the Second Continental Congress and was written by Thomas Jefferson. It stated that the colonies had been treated poorly by Britain and that if a ruler treats its people badly, they have the right to rebel. -
French Revolution
The French Revolution started because the majority of the French population, the Third estate, felt that they were treated poorly by the king. This was the beginning of a long and complicated revolution, that was not necessarily successful, and it included the beheading their own king and thousands of innocent people. -
Napoleon overthrows the Directory through a coup d e'tat
By 1799, the Directory had lost control of France and the trust of the people. Napoleon, a short but brilliant Corsican, saw this time of weakness as an oppportunity, and used troops to drive out the members of the Directory and declare himself dictator. -
Napoleon crowns himself emperor, begins to create massive European Empire
After Napoleon's coup d'etat, he declared himself emperor of France. After he was crowned, Napoleon helped France by setting up public schools called lycees and restoring order to the desperate nation. Napoleon also wanted to expand his empire. After losing his territory in the Americas, he turned his attention to Europe. During his time as emperor, Napoleon managed to conquer a massive chunk of Europe including areas like Germany, Italy, and Spain. -
Haiti wins freedom from France
The oppressed slaves of Haiti declared their independence from France. They were benefited largely from the fact that they had genius military leaders. Toussaint L'Ouverture, a former slave, was the early leader of the revolt, but after his capture and banishment, his lieutenant Jean Jacques Dessalines became the new leader. As brilliant as his predecessor, Dessalines was able to free his colony. -
Padre calls for Mexican Independence
Padre Miguel Hidalgo was a priest in the small town of Dolores. he believed in Enlightenment ideas, and summoned the townspeople by ringing the church bells. He called for a revolt, and his followers marched on Mexico City. Hidalgo was defeated, but his actions led to the Mexican Revolution. -
Napoleon is defeated at the Battle of Waterloo
After Napoleon was banished to the island of Elba, he saw anopportunity to reclaim control of France, and escaped his prison. Napoleon marshaled an army and marched against the British and Prussians. They met at the Battle of Waterloo and after hours of fighting, the French were forced to surrender. This ended Napoleon's 100 day reign and that battle would be his last.
