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French Revolution Journal Project Puja Jena, Sarah Wu, & Yi Chin Wu as Marie-Elise Colette

Journal 1:  A Day in the Life December 1787 My name is Marie-Elise Colette. I am an unmarried female and I work as a shop keeper in the third Estate of France. My work involves selling items from poor farmers to other customers. There are 3 social classes . They are the first, second and third estates.  The first estate consists of the bishops and the royal family, who control our entire nation. The second estate consists of the nobility, who collect taxes. And finally, the third estate to which common folk like me belong, provide     service to the upper classes. Being a shopkeeper and in the third estate, I encounter many disadvantages. I am not able to own land, vote, or have any other privileges. I also have trouble making enough money for food and I can only make friends with the people of my estate and not above. I believe that the third estate should have more power and have a voice in our government. We derserve to have a better quality of life than we do now.

Journal 1 cont.

Journal 2:  The Estates General May 5, 1789 Today, King Louis XVI called an Estates General Meeting.  When I first heard there was a meeting, I was shocked.  There hadn't been a meeting since 1614.  The purpose of this Estates General meeting was to discuss the tax reform.  Me and as well as the rest of the Third Estate believe that it should be one vote per person, rather than voting through representatives.  This way, we would have more control over the meetings.    We are the biggest class after all.  The First Estate wants for money to pay for wars and to make our land more "holy". The Second Estate wants more money to lavishly spent on themselves.  The Third Estate wants to tax the first two estates because they can afford it, unlike us.They should take responsibility for their debt and pay it up themselves.  We are already "holy" and the 2nd estate doesn't need more money than they already have.        

Journal 2 Continued May 5th, 1789 - photos of the Estates General

Journal 3:  The Tennis Court Oath June 20th, 1789 The National Assembly is a French congress established by representatives of the Third Estate on June 17, 1789, to enact laws and reforms the name of the French people. I think the formation of the National Assembly and the Tennis Court Oath are  very good for us, the Third Estate. If the first and second estate accept the formation of National Assembly, we no longer have to follow the nobility, clergy and follow the law- voting by order. We can vote by head, which means every citizen in France gets to vote. The formation of National Assembly is to protest the Estates General and the social classes. The Tennis Court Oath is a pledge made by the members of France’s National Assembly in 1789. They vowed to continue meeting until they had drawn up a new constitution. I am glad that we have a chance to change our social status. I want the nobility and clergy can sign and agree that Third Estate, us, can make the new constitution. I completely agree with the statement because all we want is stable live. What we want is a law that covers all the citizens, not just the nobility and clergy. 

Journal 3 Continued  

Journal 4:  The Storming of the Bastille July 14th, 1789 The Bastille is a fortress- prison in Paris. It is also called the Bastille Saint- Antoine. Once we hear that Louis was intent on using military force to dismiss the National Assembly, third estate, we start to gather weapons in order to defend the city. On July 14, a mob finds gunpowder and arms in the Bastille. Pro-revolutionaries start to attack the prison. They also kill the guard of the Bastille and walk down the streets with the heads on pikes. I can understand how people want to protect our city and homes, but I think this is a very dangerous thing to do. What these people have done might anger the King, and we might have an even worse punishment. I am worried about the attack of Bastille because I have no idea what the King might do next. I am fearful for my safety because even though we start to argue about our social system, we are still the lower ones. Before they agree to get rid of the social system, we, third estate people still have listen to the King. The nobility can still give us punishments if they want.

Journal 4 Continued  

Journal 5:  The Great Fear October 31st, 1789     The Enlightenment's ideas played a role in the Great Fear and storming of Bastille.  The Great Fear was a wave of panic in the French countryside after the attack on Bastille.  Rumors went around that nobles were going to terrorize the peasants. When they heard about this, angry peasants (3rd estate) burned and destroyed the houses of the nobles (2nd estate) as well as papers that bound them to. As I was closing up shop for the night, a large group of Parisian women began their March on Versailles.       They marched to Versailles because of the shortage of bread and the high prices, up to one month's earnings for one loaf.  And we eat 2 pounds of bread a day!  I think it's good for them and for us; we want lower prices.  I somewhat do fear for my safety now.  They wanted to get Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette to leave Versailles and return to Paris, and they were successful.  The royal family was moved to the Tuileries Palace and put under house arrest.  This signaled a change of power. The attack on Bastille symbolized the beginning of our revolution. 

Journal 5 Continued  

Journal 6:  A New Government September 1781 Three weeks after, the National Assembly created the idea- the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen. It is a document states that “men are born and remain free and equal in rights." I agree with this document because it includes our liberty, property, security, and resistance to oppression. It also guarantees our equal justice, freedom of speech, and freedom of religion. Our people take over the church and they control all the priests. The National Assembly's people believe that the pope should rule over a church independent of the state. I agree with them because the church is very important to me, as a shop keeper, too. Two years later, National Assembly also created a new legislative body- the Legislative Assembly. It’s a congress with the power to create laws and approve or reject declarations of war. Because the King still holds the executive power to enforce laws, we call it limited monarchy. I feel a little worried because the King still holds the power, just not as much as before. I am fearful about my safety because he can still jail me if he wants.

Journal 6 Continued  

Journal 7:  The September Massacres September 1792     War is declared on France because Prussia and Austria want King Louis XVI back in power.   I am not happy about this; I want us to have a say in our government and try for a constitutional monarchy.  For now I want to stay in France.  Outraged men and women attacked the palace at which Louis XVI and his family were staying.  The royal family became imprisoned.  Later, more than 1000 prisoners were murdered.  These became known as The September Massacres.  Among the women and men who raided the prisons were the    sans-culottes.  They were small shopkeepers who wanted a voice in the government.  The sans-culottes believed that they were "true people," because they represented the average person.  I am a believer in the revolution to make a change for us, but the massacres went too far.  I am worried that Louis will regain power and do something horrible to the rebels.

Journal 7 Continued  

Journal 8:  The Reign of Terror & the Execution of King Louis XVI & Marie Antoinette 1793     During the Reign of Terror, the pro-revolutionaries tried to scare everyone into following the new "rules."  It was meant to be a temporary government to get rid of enemies and traitors.  During this period, the guillotine's use greatly increased.  This caused the Committee of Public Safety, headed by Robespierre, to be formed.  This consisted of 9 members who added as leaders, which would've been considered oligarchy. People were getting killed left and right for simply speaking badly about the revolution, or addressing someone as "monsieur" or "madame."             You have to refer to people as "citizen" now. Jacobins started to go overboard.   They smashed churches' stained glass windows and altars were to pieces.  Signs bearing names related to the church such as "St." were replaced.  Louis XVI was accused of being a traitor to France because he tried to flee to Austria.  He was executed at the guillotine, as well as his wife.  King Louis XVI's last words included that his death would be beneficial to the people, and he is afraid that God will be mad at them.        

Journal 8 Continued Marie Antoinette was jailed and tried for treason and incest.  She was guilty and shared the same fate as her husband.  I don't think that it was necessary for him to be executed.   I have decided to leave France for now because the revolution has gone too far.  A person leaving the country that they are native to for the ending of the French Revolution is a called an emigre.      

Journal 9:  The Execution of Robespierre July 1794 Today the it was reported that Robespierre would be put to death by the guillotine. He was  put on trial and found guilty for being an outlaw and for demanding the blood of so many people including the Commitee of Public Safety. He had gone mad with power and couldn't be let to control the people any longer. I believe that this was justified because  it was the only way to end the "Reign of Terror."  He was making himself a God he was not.  The National Convention resorted to conservatism afterwards. All the classes had grown tired of the Terror and skyrocketing food prices. I hear they will be placing power in the hands of the upper middle class next year. They will call for a two-house legislature and an executive body of  five men called the Directory. They will be needed to restore order to our country for a while.    

Journal 9 continued

Journal 10: Looking Back on the Revolution I think the Revolution eventually did achieve its goals. I can clearly remember the day King Louis XVI was sent to the guillotine. I was just shocked that a nation would be willing to turn on it's leader in order to establish a more perfect union for themselves. The revolution was extraordinary and because of it now we will have a say in our government. But I don't support the amount of blood that was shed just to create this democracy that we will have now. We could have achieved our dream of liberty with a more civil and unsavage way. It was unnessesary to kill so many people for not supporting the revolution. They could have just been prisoned instead. The radicals were killing people who were speaking against the idea of democracy. But doesn't democracy give people the right to speak their minds?

Journal 10 Continued