National Assembly

End of the 3rd Estate The 3rd Estate was fed up and formed the National Assembly on June 17th, 1789 Some members of the 1st and 2nd Estates joined the National Assembly The National Assembly plans to meet with the 1st and 2nd Estates June 20th, 1789

Tennis Court Oath The doors were locked at Versailles and Louis XVI’s guards would not let the National Assembly in The delegates of the National Assembly then met at an indoor tennis court at Versailles They agreed not to disband until a Constitution was created

577 men signed the oath Some more nobles and clergy joined the National Assembly

Louis XVI’s Reaction He ultimately gives in and agrees to draft a constitution Louis XVI then begins to gather troops in Paris and Versailles Around this time Louis XVI fires his director of finances, Jacques Necker The Parisians respond with rebellion

Jacques Necker

Storming of the Bastille The Bastille was initially a fortress built between 1370-1383 In the 17th century, it became a political prison The governor of the prison would earn a living based on how many and what kind of criminals were in the Bastille

Parisians stormed the Bastille because it had gunpowder and because it represented the oppression of the gov’t It was believed that there were hundreds of prisoners inside Only had 7 prisoners (4 counterfeiters, 2 mad men and a young aristocrat)

Great Fear In July and August of 1789, there are sporadic rebellions across the French countryside against feudal landlords The National Assembly signs the August Decrees, which cancels all obligations peasants have to their landlords

On August 26th, 1789, the National Assembly signs the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen Gave all French due process and declared all French people to be equal (laws and legal proceedings must be fair) Things quiet down, but not for long…