Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity “English colonists in North America, when faced with an untenable situation— prolonged oppression by a tyrant or unfair taxation—rose up against and successfully separated themselves from their oppressor. The principles behind the revolution were those of liberty and equality. The men and women in the colonies were neither the first nor the last to rally around those principles.” -ABC-CLIO

The Right Ideas at the Right Time “The fact that the American Revolution was successful surely made an impression on the rest of the world. In France, ideas circulating were certainly in line with those of these new Americans. The notion that people had certain rights was intriguing.” “So at one level, the French were experimenting with these new ideas of right and wrong. At the same time, the French working classes were oppressed beyond endurance by work, taxation, and starvation. Another sector of the population, the bourgeoisie, rankled against the established social and economic systems, striving for a way to expand the conduct of business. Added to this was a combination of monarch, nobles, and clergy who were happy with the way things were, for the most part.” -ABC-CLIO

Every generation needs a new revolution. -Thomas Jefferson Revolution is not something fixed in ideology, nor is it something fashioned to a particular decade. It is a perpetual process embedded in the human spirit. -Abbie Hoffman In a revolution, as in a novel, the most difficult part to invent is the end. -Alexis de Tocqueville