"Revolutions are Super Fun!"

The American and French Revolutions share similarities such as economic issues such as taxation, and political representation as they demanded for equal rights; they were different in their opponent: America opposed the British, whereas the French opposed their own government, and the social classes of the rebels. Americans in general rebelled, while only the lower classes rebelled in French.

Both the American Revolution and the French Revolution resulted when people began demanding proper representation. Americans were tired of the pressure of unreasonable taxes and wanted their own freedom. The lower class and middle class Frenchmen also wanted to reduce their taxes, and they were unwilling to give their savings to the oppressive king.

Another similarity they share is economic issues among the poorer classes. Americans revolted and rebelled against taxation- an example of this is the Boston Tea Party- and attacked the British in the hopes of becoming America's Next Top Model independent from them. The British were in large amounts of debt; in turn they forced harsher taxes onto the colonies. In France, the similar thing happened when the King imposed taxes on the peasants, while the wealthy didn't have to pay. A reason for this is because of France's separation of the social classes.

The third similarity between the two is their government. In the Americas they formed the Continental Congress to lead the rebellion, and in France, the National Assembly was formed to rebel against the King. The reason for these formations is because the people's awareness of the oppressive government.


Differences in the two is the enemy. In the Americas, their opponent was an all-dominating overseas force, whereas in France, the people are against their own government, hoping to make a better place for themselves.

Another difference resides in which class of people initiated the war. In the Americas, everyone joined into the movement because they all had disadvantages as long as they were under British rule. In France, the lower class and middle class were the rebellious ones, since the upper class were untouched by much of the issues from the government. A reason for this difference is because of the size of each entity; the Americas were always under oppressive British rule, and Britain controlled everything there. In France, the majority of the issues were dealing with the lower classes.

The third difference between the two is the differing amount of bloodshed and violence. In France, after the storming of the Bastille, the people would kill all supporters of the monarchy, whereas in the Americas, they were not as violent and blood thirsty. A reason for this is because of the colonies' lack of proper metal work and weapons. Though the Americas did have the force of angry colonists.

Ottoman Art

The Ottoman Empire was renowned for its architecture, mosques, caravansaries, and also did a lot of typography and miniature painting. In their structures, they had massive domes, vaults, minarets, and columns that became the aesthetic style of the Ottomans. The miniature paintings were influenced by the Persian miniature paintings. Colors were obtained from ground powder pigments mixed with egg whites - most common colors were red, green, and shades of blue. Their paintings were stylized and abstract, but became more realistic when they were influenced by Baroque styles. The Ottomans were also famous for their woven art: carpets, door hangings, and curtains.

Mughal art borrows mostly from the Renaissance, Persians, and Indians. They built monuments, such as Humayun's Tomb, the Pearl Mosque, and the Taj Mahal. It was decorated so meticulously, the Taj Mahal still stands today. When painting, the Mughals adopted the miniature paintings from the Muslim tradition.They had lavishly decorated texts, and images depicting scenes of wildlife, hunting, court life, and battles. The paintings were realistically shown from the beginning.

The Magna Carta

Eight hundred years ago, King John and the feudal barons signed a treaty that states that the king will govern the people with feudal laws. In 1215, John had spent most of his finances trying to hold onto France. He alienated Pop Innocent III, expelled the monks from from Canterbury, and the pope excommunicated him. England became a rogue nation, but to prevent invasion, he accepted the pope's offer for archbishop much to humiliation. John signed the Magna Carta, but it was a failure: it had an enforcement clause  that no self-respecting monarch would have stuck to—establishing a council of 25 barons with the right to seize all the king’s possessions if he broke any of the other clauses. He asked the pope for an annulment a month later. The Magna Carta created a better power balance between the barons and the monarch, and is still relevant today in legal cases. 


1. OMG what was the king's hostage doing to her son??!!??!
She was chewing his face like he was a large slim jim. 

2. At the time, what was England's relationship with its neighbors?

England became a rogue nation, so large powers - France, Wales, Scotland, Rome - tried to overthrow the regime.

 3. Why did King John agree to the Magna Carta? 

He was afraid of being invaded, and when rebels gained ground and invaded England, he had to find a solution.

4. What was the impact of the Magna Carta at the time? 

It was considered a failure at the time, since the idea of pplaying by certain rules wasn't a new idea. 

5. How did later kings use the charter to their advantage? 

Well, John's son was nine, so one of the loyal barons, William Marshal, took over the throne. He reissued the charter, weakening the king's power dramatically, thus the rebels had no more reason to rebel. 

6. How did Edward Coke revive the importance of the charter? 

Coke was the leader of the group of lawyers who fought and successfully brought back the Magna Carta to soothe the English War. 

7. How did American colonial leaders use the Magna Carta? 

The Massachusetts Assembly used it to argue the against taxation without representation.

8. Why is the Magna Carta more important to modern Americans than to the British?

Americans use it to justify their actions towards oppressive forces.