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Similarities Between American And French Revolution

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The American and French Revolutions occurred roughly 14 years apart. On the surface, they presented many similarities, such as the guarantee of liberty, but important distinctions also appeared. The primary documents written from each revolution will demonstrate how the papers produced during this period show that the American Revolution fought a system of government while the French Revolution struggled against a hierarchical society.
On July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress of what would become the United States of America approved its first major document: the Declaration of Independence. The Declaration outlined the grievances against the British while also providing details on the universal political values that they believed in, which supported the grievances of the writers, including issues such as taxation without representation, absolute rule, and for destroying the American colonists’ ability to trade. A key phrase of the Declaration noted that the government was legitimate if it had “consent of the governed,” which highlighted the failure of the British colonial government to fairly represent the people they governed in the 13 colonies and the divine right that the king claimed as the legitimacy of his reign. Indeed, Jefferson argued that a government that did not have the consent was not a legitimate government, and …show more content…
This is reflected by the language of the documents. Where the American Declaration of Independence references “Nature’s God,” the French government leaves God and the Church behind because the clergy had occupied an unfair place in social hierarchy and had enjoyed special

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