Late 18th Century Revolutions: America and France

1. English North American Colonies in the 18th Century

In the eighteenth century, Britain had managed to conquer the entire east coast of what is now the United States, expelling the Native Americans, as well as the Dutch and Swedes. Thirteen independent colonies were created, each with different laws but with a single King of England, and whose laws were made by the English Parliament. In general, the new colonies were occupied by free men. They were not interested in the poor lands of the nobility, who were accustomed to war against them and their democratically elected priests, and sometimes to the local council and its colonial representatives. In the southern colonies, by contrast, land was in the hands of wealthy white planters, and enslaved Africans were imported for cotton and tobacco production. However, they were also traders, and thus England did not want taxes on their products.

2. Causes of the Independence of the United States

Throughout the seventeenth century, the British and French fought for control of world trade, and eventually, England won. Also, to expel the French from the Native Americans, they stayed with Canada, which until then was French. The British army had to be supported by the colonial militias. After the war, the King of England claimed that the colonies maintained a standing army with taxes, while they put high taxes on colonial products to avoid competition with England. The settlers responded by throwing British products into the sea. At war, they put their militias and elected their representatives, who met and declared the Independence of the United States of America on July 4, 1776.

3. The Theoretical Principles of Independence

Independence was based on three main principles:

• A) All power (sovereignty) comes from the people.
• B) As the sovereign people, they have inalienable rights; that is, nobody can take away the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
• C) Because the people are sovereign, they should elect their representatives to govern, and when they do not like what they do, they should change them.

4. The Independence of the United States and Its Consequences

From these, early representatives of the 13 colonies said that having the right to change the ruling, they rejected the tyrant King of England and declared themselves independent. In the next war, which lasted seven years, the settlers were backed by Spain and France, who sought to reduce the power of England, and in the end, the king recognized their independence. After some hesitation, where they thought to separate, the 13 colonies decided to stay together, established a capital, and became known as the USA. Due to its political system, its resources, and the absence of the nobility, it began a growth that continued until our days.

5. France in the Late 18th Century

In the late eighteenth century, France had the strongest European army, which involved huge expenditures. In addition, the court spent at least one-tenth of the taxes. This expenditure was not matched by the income of the vast majority of the population, for although the country was rich, the population had grown, and the land remained the same. All this when more than 80% of the people lived on agriculture, and since 1778, widespread crop failures occurred due to torrential rains. To top it off, French support for independence for the Americans had fired at military spending. France, like all of Europe, was a stratified society in which neither the nobility nor the church paid taxes, and they could also impose/appoint some judges and make laws.

6. Differences in France with Other Countries

But there were differences with other countries:

• A) The Church (Catholic) did not have as much land or power as in other countries.
• B) A portion of the Third Estate was not poor, but people with money—bourgeois, usually traders, shop owners, and professionals—who could read and write and were tired of paying taxes, and they alone could not decide on the government.
• C) There were high administration officials who wanted to keep the state and, therefore, wanted to reform it so that all paid taxes.
• D) Some nobles and priests, very few, but highly trained and intelligent, due to the enlightened ideas, had become supporters of the same laws for everyone.