Well, hello there... So, today we started out again with some current events. Click below to see the article on Libya's president, Moamar Gaddhafi, and his wacko son, about how they do not want to pay the victims of their terrorist activities that killed lots of Americans, including high school students. Click here for that story.
NEEEEXXXXTT, we really got the French Revolution lesson underway. Please see the slides & video clips below to find the story we learned today...
So, yesterday, we learned about how the people of France were treated unfairly in so many different ways (scroll down to yesterday to see those again.) But what when the women of France woke up one morning and went to the stores to buy their flour to make their bread, they found a not-so-nice surprise... The price of bread flour (mostly their only source of food) had risen 30% overnight to around 80% of their salaries! (click slide below to see that diagram again)
Well, as you can imagine, the streets became full of angry, screaming women. These women began to organize, with the help of some of the smarter, enlightened bourgeoisie folks, and began to march toward Versailles Palace to find King Louis and.... especially... Marie Antoinette.
On the way to Versailles, the angry, hungry, and poor French mob stopped at the infamous Bastille Prison, a symbol of the cruel imprisonment of political dissidents (people who speak out against the gov't), and destroyed it... brick-by-brick. They then freed all ....uhhh... seven of the prisoners in there. Yes, only 7.
Anyway, they kept on marching toward Versailles, and when they got there, they shouted up to the balcony and demanded to speak to Marie Antoinette. See the clip here of that scene, and notice how Marie Antoinette responds to them... (Click here for clip)
After she bows to them, the people begin to chant, "Vive la reine!" which means, "Long live the Queen!" So, Marie thinks she's okay... but the people don't leave! They send in someone to speak to her and he tells Marie that the people simply want the price of bread to go down because they are hungry and can't afford it. What happens next has never been verified by history as fact. This man returns to the crowd and says, "Marie Antoinette says that you should EAT CAKE instead of bread!" The crowd screamed in rage and broke into the palace of Versailles. They chased Marie Antoinette into her bed chamber, but Marie escaped through a secret passageway, which led outside. Eventually, though, she was discovered hiding and arrested, along with her husband, King Louis.
Marie Antoinette and King Louis were put on house arrest in their palace. During this time, though, France fell into what is known as the Reign of Terror. During this time, the people of the revolution became TOTALLY PSYCHO. They killed thousands of people with the guillotine and there were even reports of cannibalism. Click here for a clip of some aristocratic (wealthy) women being taken to the guillotine.
During the Reign of Terror, here in America, a cartoon was made depicting it... see if you can find the hidden messages and see what the artist was trying to say about the French Revolution...
Marie & Louis were terrified of the Reign of Terror and believed that it was only time before they were to be killed. Marie, however, came up with a plan. She and Louis paid off the guards to let them escape. They left in the middle of the night wearing plain clothing and in a simple carriage. The plan was to escape back to Marie Antoinette's home country of Austria, where Marie's father (the king of Austria) would bring his army to France to stop the revolution.
Marie and Louis were discovered in the LAST town just before the Austrian border. They were brought back to Paris where Louis was beheaded at the guillotine. A few days later, Marie Antoinette was taken to the guillotine, as well. However, things were a little different at her execution. To see what happened to her, click here, and see if you can tell a difference... notice the people in the crowd.
Marie Antoinette and King Louis were put on house arrest in their palace. During this time, though, France fell into what is known as the Reign of Terror. During this time, the people of the revolution became TOTALLY PSYCHO. They killed thousands of people with the guillotine and there were even reports of cannibalism. Click here for a clip of some aristocratic (wealthy) women being taken to the guillotine.
During the Reign of Terror, here in America, a cartoon was made depicting it... see if you can find the hidden messages and see what the artist was trying to say about the French Revolution...
Marie & Louis were terrified of the Reign of Terror and believed that it was only time before they were to be killed. Marie, however, came up with a plan. She and Louis paid off the guards to let them escape. They left in the middle of the night wearing plain clothing and in a simple carriage. The plan was to escape back to Marie Antoinette's home country of Austria, where Marie's father (the king of Austria) would bring his army to France to stop the revolution.
Marie and Louis were discovered in the LAST town just before the Austrian border. They were brought back to Paris where Louis was beheaded at the guillotine. A few days later, Marie Antoinette was taken to the guillotine, as well. However, things were a little different at her execution. To see what happened to her, click here, and see if you can tell a difference... notice the people in the crowd.
