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Montesquieu publishes book, On the Spirit of Laws
Montesquieu wrote about his ideal government in this book. He proposed that no individual or group should gain too much control in government and he introduced the idea of separation of powers. His ideas influenced writers of the U.S. Constitution. The part of the constitution about checks and balances also came from Montesquieu. -
America declares thier independence
When news got around about America declaring independence it spread like wildfire and it sparked many revolutions all around the world. The people of Americal were tired of the tyrannical king so they wanted to break away and create thier own country. The American Revolution inspired the French Revolution and others around the world. -
French Revolution
The French Revolution started when the rebels stormed the Bastille Prison on this date. The rebels wanted to get their hands on ammunition to fight against the king and the government. The rebels were inspired by the American Revolution. They made the Tennis Court Oath in which they pledged to create a new constitution. King Louis XVII was removed from the throne and later executed. -
Napoleon overthrows the Directory through a coup d’etat
When Napoleon returned from fighting in Egypt the French people had lost confidene in the Directory. Some supporters convinced him to take over. His troops surrounded the national legislature and took over. The rest of the members voted to make Napoleon one of three consuls in charge of the government. -
Napoleon crowns himself emperor, begins to create a vast European Empire
Napoleon was in power as first consul and had the support of the French people. He was doing a lot of good things for France. He decided that he wanted to become Emporer of France. The Pope who was grateful he was given bacl power by Napoleon in their concordat agreement, agreed to crown him. During the ceremony at Notre Dame cathedral he took the crown from the pope and put it on his own head showing that he was more powerful than the church. -
Haiti wins their independence
In 1791 the slaves of Haiti, inspired by the American and French Revolutions, revolted against their masters and took control of the government led by a former slave named Toussaint L'Ouverture. French troops defeated and imprisoned L'Ouverture by 1802. His lieuntant Jean-Jacques Dessalines became the slaves' leader and declared Haiti an independent country in 1804. Haiti was the first black colony to declare independence from a European country. -
Padre Hidalgo calls for Mexican Independence
Hildalgo was influenced by the Enlightenment ideas of democracy and liberty. So in 1810 he rang the chruch bells in his village of Dolores, Mexico and called for a rebellion against Spain. His army of about 80,000 Indian and mestizo peasants marched into Mexico City. The Spanish army defeated Hidalgo in 1811. But a new leader Jose Maria Morelos led a second uprising.
