What seem to be the grievances of the Third Estate? Pick one or two of the apparent complaints and ANALYZE them in a BLOG POST, that seeks to explain the grievance type. Is it financial? Physical? Mental?
The Tennis Court Oath was like a pep rally which rallied the Third Estate to think about their rights and state their rights to the King which united them. What the Third Estate complained about is as followed:
Some of the complaints of the third estates were that the lowly peasants were forced even when they did not have money or were flat broke had to pay outrageous and disproportionate taxes that made them all in dept to the king, So they had to do forced work without pay to pay their taxes. Which made them want to revolt against the King. This was called Corvee, forced work. This could also play into The Physical and Mental Aspect because the induced labor would have affected their bodies and mind. The long and hard days would be straining and unbearable and it would day by day internally and externally destroy their bodies. Which after time they wold probably say enough is enough and they rebelled whhich resulted in many casualties.
Another grievance is the Bourgeoisie the middle class( merchants and scientists). During the rebellion in the national assembly, they believed in Enlightenment ideas of equality and social justice called for reform in the tax system. Their grievances grievances were they wanted what the other estates had (ie their rights).
Showing posts with label jeu de paume. Show all posts
Showing posts with label jeu de paume. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Tennis Court Oath
The Tennis Court Oath was taken by members of the Third Estate in France on June 20, 1789. It's very nature presents us with one of their greivences, too much power given to the monarch and corrupt rule. This oath was taken under strange circumstances. The Third Estate was formed to represent the common class in France as opposed to the clergy or nobility. On the day that they gave this oath they had been locked out of the room that they normally met in, sending them into a panic. They believed that the lock-out was intentional and caused by the King to try to make them stop meeting and representing the commoners of France. They took this as a threat to their governmental power. Instead of giving up, they held their meeting in a nearby tennis court and took this oath to ensure that they would continue to represent their class, despite any setbacks that the nobles or the clergy gave them. The tennis court oath was the first time that any major political group really stood up to the King and disputed what he said. By doing this, they publicly protest the King's exessive power and their own lack of power, despite their clear majority. They were trying to take power away from the King because they wanted to keep their government as pure and uncorrupted as possible, and to put decisions made for the common people into their own hands and away from the King. It was unfair for the upper classes to hold so much political power while they represented only a tiny fraction of France's population.
Tennis Court Oath
The Tennis Court Oath (other source: here) was an oath proposed by Jean-Joseph Mounier of the national assembly (members of the third estate) that stated the members shall be bound together until a new constitution was formed. All members of the national assembly pledged the oath except for one, Martin Dauch. The oath is called the Tennis Court Oath because, after being locked out of their regular meeting place, the members of the national assembly decided to meet in a nearby indoor tennis court.
The grievances of the Third Estate was mostly social and physical, because the main thing the Third Estate was rebelling against was equality between estates. This started with the fact that each estate had an equal amount of votes, but the first two estates agreed with each other, which left the third estate out-numbered two to one, even though the third estate was 97% of the population. This is a social grievance because it had to do with who had power. The nobility had the power to make the decisions of how to divide up the votes, and the third estate had absolutely no say in this. This is also physical, because it has to do with the physical structure of how the votes were divided up, and this ended up not being fair.
The other part of equality that the third estate was rebelling against was the level of taxes they had to pay versus the taxes the first and second estates had to pay. This was a financial grievance, and also a social grievance, because even though the peasants made much less money than the merchants, they still had to pay the same amount of money.
The new constitution (that was decided to be developed by the Tennis Court Oath) pledged to fix all of these grievances which mainly revolved around equality within estates.
Tennis Court Oath
The Tennis Court Oath happened when Louis XIV called the three estates together for a meeting about taxes. The Third estate wanted more influence, so they would not be outnumbered by the clergy and nobility, but were refused more votes in the assembly. They then refused to cooperate, and eventually were locked out. Some of the clergy joined their cause, trying to give them more rights. The group then met in a n empty tennis court, where they made an oath not to leave until they had created and signed a constitution. This was a major step against the king, and sparked the revolution.
The reason the assembly had been called had been about taxes. The clergy and the nobility were paying none at all, while the third estate was paying a lot. This assembly might have changed thta, but the third estate knew they would be outvoted, and so staged their protest. Their main complaint was about lack of influence in the government, but that trickled down to many other things. For instance, their taxes. The peasants had to pay large sums of money to the government each year, making their lives, already difficult in comparison to the nobility and clergy, much harder, and creating a lot of poverty. While the estate system gave them the right to submit a single vote, they would almost definitely be overruled by the nobility and clergy, so it almost did not matter that the third state existed at all.
The financial difficulties experienced by the third estate also translated to other difficulties. One large example is food. When one has less money, that is less of an ability to feed himself and all of their dependents, and so the poor, tax stricken peasants starved. If the third estate had had more influence int he government, they would have been able to influence their lives more, and would have been able to overall have a better quality of life.
The reason the assembly had been called had been about taxes. The clergy and the nobility were paying none at all, while the third estate was paying a lot. This assembly might have changed thta, but the third estate knew they would be outvoted, and so staged their protest. Their main complaint was about lack of influence in the government, but that trickled down to many other things. For instance, their taxes. The peasants had to pay large sums of money to the government each year, making their lives, already difficult in comparison to the nobility and clergy, much harder, and creating a lot of poverty. While the estate system gave them the right to submit a single vote, they would almost definitely be overruled by the nobility and clergy, so it almost did not matter that the third state existed at all.
The financial difficulties experienced by the third estate also translated to other difficulties. One large example is food. When one has less money, that is less of an ability to feed himself and all of their dependents, and so the poor, tax stricken peasants starved. If the third estate had had more influence int he government, they would have been able to influence their lives more, and would have been able to overall have a better quality of life.
The Tennis Court Oath
This oath was a form of contract between the men of the National Assembly, taken by all but one man. This oath was a promise that they would band togehter and never seperate until their demands had been met and a constitution was written. The National Assembly was formed mostly by members of the First Estate, who's goal it was to limit the power of King Louis XIV.
The creation of this assembly and oath were a huge step toward democracy and equal rights for all. This was the first time any organized group had successfuly stood up to the king, largely debunking his claims of being chosen by God. After this incident it became incrasingly harder for Louis to hold his firm position as absolute monarch.
The National Assembly was created mainly to attend to mental and physical greivances cast upon them by the government. These men realized that between the clergy and nobility, they would never have any influence over their country. They felt the pressure of this mental restriction pressing on them and couldn't stand not to act. They also felt the physical confines of their social class, and saw how unfair it was. These men were fighting to get a chance to change that which was not right.
The creation of this assembly and oath were a huge step toward democracy and equal rights for all. This was the first time any organized group had successfuly stood up to the king, largely debunking his claims of being chosen by God. After this incident it became incrasingly harder for Louis to hold his firm position as absolute monarch.
The National Assembly was created mainly to attend to mental and physical greivances cast upon them by the government. These men realized that between the clergy and nobility, they would never have any influence over their country. They felt the pressure of this mental restriction pressing on them and couldn't stand not to act. They also felt the physical confines of their social class, and saw how unfair it was. These men were fighting to get a chance to change that which was not right.
Tennis Court Oath
What seem to be the grievances of the Third Estate? Pick one or two of the apparent complaints and ANALYZE them in a BLOG POST, that seeks to explain the grievance type. Is it financial? Physical? Mental?
There were many grievances such as Corvee, which is forced work. People in the Third estate or the remainder of the population, owed the king money from debt of land and other things. The first estate, the clergy, and second estate, the nobility, didn't have to pay taxes while the Third Estate, who were poor, had to pay taxes. They also had almost no money and since France was almost bankrupt, so they wanted to establish more taxes upon the Third Estate. The people in the Third Estate had little wealth because the wages were diminished while the taxes were rising. This is one of the reasons why the third Estate wanted to rebel. Also because of the Enlightenment, which inspired them to have more rights and equality.
During 1788, the third estate asked King Louis for a higher population in their own class to equal the first and second estates. Louis agreed because he wanted to support the third estate in the upcoming assembly. This grievance is a financial and physical grievance because they had problems with money and they had a lot of pain from low wage labor. It was also difficult for the people in the Third Estate in those times until the rebelled.
Another grievance is when Bourgeoisie or the middle class (Merchants, scientists, etc.). Enlightenment thinking influenced the middle class to want equal privileges to the second class. They beileved in the ideas of equality and social justice, called the reform of the tax system. The tax structure for the bourgeoisie was that they paid a smaller percentage of their income compared to the peasants. This grievance is also financial which was another cause of the rebellion.
There were many grievances such as Corvee, which is forced work. People in the Third estate or the remainder of the population, owed the king money from debt of land and other things. The first estate, the clergy, and second estate, the nobility, didn't have to pay taxes while the Third Estate, who were poor, had to pay taxes. They also had almost no money and since France was almost bankrupt, so they wanted to establish more taxes upon the Third Estate. The people in the Third Estate had little wealth because the wages were diminished while the taxes were rising. This is one of the reasons why the third Estate wanted to rebel. Also because of the Enlightenment, which inspired them to have more rights and equality.
During 1788, the third estate asked King Louis for a higher population in their own class to equal the first and second estates. Louis agreed because he wanted to support the third estate in the upcoming assembly. This grievance is a financial and physical grievance because they had problems with money and they had a lot of pain from low wage labor. It was also difficult for the people in the Third Estate in those times until the rebelled.
Another grievance is when Bourgeoisie or the middle class (Merchants, scientists, etc.). Enlightenment thinking influenced the middle class to want equal privileges to the second class. They beileved in the ideas of equality and social justice, called the reform of the tax system. The tax structure for the bourgeoisie was that they paid a smaller percentage of their income compared to the peasants. This grievance is also financial which was another cause of the rebellion.
Tennis Court Oath
Look up the TENNIS COURT OATH using the library databases (off-campus passwords are available from the librarians). What seem to be the grievances of the Third Estate? Pick one or two of the apparent complaints and ANALYZE them in a BLOG POST, that seeks to explain the grievance type. Is it financial? Physical? Mental?
The Tennis Court Oath occurred on June 20, 1789 during the French Revolution. It was taken by the Third Estate, and was a result of previous grievances that were to be solved. The third estate represents peasants and the common class. The main grievance was about a lack of voice in the States-General meeting. During these meetings, King Louis XVI made sure that a vast majority of the say was in the hands of the first and second estates, which both had higher class people than the third estate.
The name "Tennis Court Oath" was because after the people of the third estate were locked out of their regular meeting place (most likely intentionally), they held their meeting in a tennis court nearby. During the meeting they discussed grievances that they had. They noticed that even while having such a high percentage of the population, they had such an insignificant say in the decisions made. There were also financial grievances regarding the taxes that each estate payed. They had to pay a much higher percentage of their income because they payed an equal amount in taxes as the second estate, which was much wealthier. The grievances they discussed had to do with the difficulty they had compared to other estates.
Tennis Court Oath
The Tennis Court Oath was a pledge signed by the members of the third estate of France, or the least wealthy of the three social classes, and the oath was taken in a tennis court near Versailles. 576 out of the 577 members took this oath. It was a response to Louis XVI's desire to maintain absolute power for the government, and it was also a demand for more power for the third estate. They also wanted the King to write a constitution for France.
The oath was to never seperate from the national assembly and basically do whatever necessary to maintain it, and they would keep this pledge until a written constitution was written for France. The third estate wanted more power King Louis XVI eventually gave in and increased the size of the estate. They made up most of France, and the King ended up giving more nobles and clergy members to the third estate. While they thought they got more power, each estate was given one vote so the size of the representation of the third estate grew, but the voting power stayed the same, and the clergy and noblemen were outvoting them, so nothing still went the way of the third estate.
These are financial and social grievances. It relates to finances because the third estate represented the poorest group of France. The social part comes from the fact that the third estate had the least amount of social power and they were asking for more.
The oath was to never seperate from the national assembly and basically do whatever necessary to maintain it, and they would keep this pledge until a written constitution was written for France. The third estate wanted more power King Louis XVI eventually gave in and increased the size of the estate. They made up most of France, and the King ended up giving more nobles and clergy members to the third estate. While they thought they got more power, each estate was given one vote so the size of the representation of the third estate grew, but the voting power stayed the same, and the clergy and noblemen were outvoting them, so nothing still went the way of the third estate.
These are financial and social grievances. It relates to finances because the third estate represented the poorest group of France. The social part comes from the fact that the third estate had the least amount of social power and they were asking for more.
The Tennis Court Oath
The Tennis Court Oath was the oath taken by the third estate of France 1789 in an empty tennis court to oppose the Kings that they suspected was going to move against them. The oath said that the third estate bind themselves together as a whole French nation until a fair constitution was drawn up.
The main grievance of the third estate was the lack of equality in the States-General. Before the French Revolution, each estate was given one vote, making it so the first two estates (the clergy and the nobles) could out-vote the third estate at all times. However, in 1788, the third estate asked the king to double their numbers because the third estate made up the majority of France. The king obliged and the third estate thought of it as a victory. They thought that if they had double numbers this meant that the vote would be taken by a head count, and not by a single vote for the entire estate. Unfortunately, the King never made this clear. This is what lead to the Tennis Court Oath being taken. All the third estate wanted was for their numbers in society to equal the amount of say that the estate had in the States-General.
Before the States-General took place, the third estate forced all the estates to join and vote as one. This caused a delay in the organization of the States General. To keep delaying the official meeting until they got their way, the third estate then called for the credentials of everyone in the General to be questioned and verified. After some more meetings, it became clear that the third estate was starting to win over the clergy and the nobles, and therefore gaining too much power. This made the King feel threatened and caused him to call of the States-General for an amount of time. Seeing this as a threat to their win, the third estate gathered in an empty tennis court and vowed to work together as a nation until they got their way. All they wanted was equality and a fair say.
The main grievance of the third estate was the lack of equality in the States-General. Before the French Revolution, each estate was given one vote, making it so the first two estates (the clergy and the nobles) could out-vote the third estate at all times. However, in 1788, the third estate asked the king to double their numbers because the third estate made up the majority of France. The king obliged and the third estate thought of it as a victory. They thought that if they had double numbers this meant that the vote would be taken by a head count, and not by a single vote for the entire estate. Unfortunately, the King never made this clear. This is what lead to the Tennis Court Oath being taken. All the third estate wanted was for their numbers in society to equal the amount of say that the estate had in the States-General.
Before the States-General took place, the third estate forced all the estates to join and vote as one. This caused a delay in the organization of the States General. To keep delaying the official meeting until they got their way, the third estate then called for the credentials of everyone in the General to be questioned and verified. After some more meetings, it became clear that the third estate was starting to win over the clergy and the nobles, and therefore gaining too much power. This made the King feel threatened and caused him to call of the States-General for an amount of time. Seeing this as a threat to their win, the third estate gathered in an empty tennis court and vowed to work together as a nation until they got their way. All they wanted was equality and a fair say.
Grievances of the Third Estate
In 1789, France, although very successful, was nearing bankruptcy, so Louis XIV decided to impose a tax upon the noble class and clergy, who were not supporting the state, and the bourgeoisie, who paid a much smaller amount than the peasants. However, this proposition was met with much hostility, and Louis XIV ended up calling a meeting of the States-General, virtually untouched during Louis' reign due to his belief in absolute monarchy. The States-General was the system where each of the three estates, the peasants, the clergy, and the nobility, would convene separately to vote on whatever issue at hand. To the third estate, the peasants who made up most of the population, this seemed extremely unfair. Although the third estate was much larger compared to the other two estates, they have only a third say. Therefore, they would be outvoted since the clergy and nobility often have similar interests.
One grievance of the third estate was that they deserved a much larger say in the government. Because they were so many fewer members of the upper classes, those two estates essentially made all decisions regarding the status of the state. At the time, common opinion was divided into two groups, the lower class and the higher class. However, because of the nature of the States-General, the higher class is given two votes, the clergy and the nobles. The third estate believed that they were underrepresented in government because the opinions were not equally voiced. Even more importantly, the third estate comprised much much more of the population than the other two combined, yet they were only given one vote. This grievance, revolving around the idea of freedom and equal rights in government, was just another way for the nobility and the clergy to retain control over the lower class and keep the power and wealth within their class.
However, when Louis XIV sought to rescue the nation, he needed the vote of the common people, the only ones who would vote for his proposition of taxing the nobles and clergy. He gave the third estate an extra vote due to their size. Excited at the idea that they could have an opinion in government, that their kind needed them, they named themselves the "National Assembly," fighting for the voice of the common man. However, after a turbulent period, the National Assembly found themselves locked out of the voting, and they instead convened in a nearby tennis court. There they wrote their own constitution, determined to receive representation in government, not as a single estate, but as a reformed nation.
Tennis Court Oath
The Tennis Court Oath was an oath of allegiance by the Third Estate in France to remain bonded together until a constitution has been written. More and more people were joining the Third Estate as they began to seek more power and authority; therefore King Louis XVI decided to lock them out completely to seclude their votes. After the Third Estate found themselves locked out of the usual meeting session, they realized that the king was determined to oppose and eliminate them and thus made the oath of bonding and their rights.
The main grievances of the Third Estate were that they did not have the equal amount of power and authority as the other estates. The Third Estate was mainly made of the citizens besides the clergy and nobles, which were the peasants, and thus had the least control. However, since they made up most of population, they claimed that they must have a larger proportion in control. Although they did have the most people, their votes were outnumbered by those of the First and Second Estate since each estate had only one vote and the other two would usually bond, and so were never heard. Their oath was a movement to show direct declaration against the estates and the king’s concentrated powers. They claimed a want for equality to state what they wished, and also the distribution of rule that they deserved. Another grievance was of the financial, that the First and Second Estate did not pay taxes while the population besides the nobles and clergy had to support the entire nation. The rich who actually had the wealth and resources were able to pay much less taxes than the peasants who struggled to live each day. The Third Estate sought to solve this inequality as well, for the benefit of all.
The Tennis Court Oath
The Estates General, a convention of the three estates in France, took place during Louis XVI reign on December 27th, 1778. The most recent Estates General meeting before this one occurred in 1614. Therefore, Louis XVI's Estates General convention was the first to happen in over 170 years. This significant time gap represents a lack of communication with the population of France in terms of politics and fair representation.
In June 1789, another Estates General assembly took place (the second one since December 1788). The 3rd estate renamed itself as the National Assembly, since they believed that they accounted for the vast majority of the French people. However, the 1st and 2nd estates locked the 3rd estate out of this Estates General meeting. Furious, the National Assembly met separately on June 20th, 1789, in an indoor tennis court to converse with one another. This event soon became known as the Tennis Court Oath, where the members National Assembly swore to meet at this tennis court until a just constitution was created.
The National Assembly's primary grievance was severe lack of representation. Unfair balance of representation files as both a personal and financial offense to the 3rd estate and the mass number people it represents. As a personal offense, it discards citizens politically and socially from the ring of government affairs, leaving "lower-class" with no say in making laws and decisions. Financially, the 3rd estate and its represented citizens generally have less money. Having minimal representation mostly correlates with one's lower place on the social ladder. This circumstance often leads to decrease in revenue and poverty. Due to these unfortunate instances of misrepresentation and poverty, unrest and tension is likely to develop within the French population. As this tension increases, the chances of rebellion (and eventually revolution) dramatically increase.
This important act of opposition towards the government triggered signs of the French Revolution, opening doors to eventual rebellion, violence, and overthrow of the monarchy.
The Tennis Court Oath
The grievances that spurred the French commoners of the third estate into action with the Tennis Court Oath were both financial and mental. The problem that set all other thoughts of revolution into motion was that of taxes. At the beginning of the French Revolution, there were, as we know, three estates. The clergy was the first, the nobility the second, and the remainder of the population constituted the third. Of these estates only the last was required to pay taxes; even worse, the commoners, with the least amount of money, were required to pay the highest percentage of their income to the King. This absence of financial equity allowed the people's mental state of mind to decline - they were unhappy and restricted. To resolve the issue, the third estate attempted to join with both the others to make decisions on a national scale, leading to another grievance: they were rebutted. In turn they refused to compromise until both the clergy and the Louis XVI gave in to their numerous demands. They required an assembly with all three estates to represent the French nation, which they were granted a date for alongside the presence of the king at the meeting. In the period of time between the third estate's original meetings (where it declared its intent to create a "National Assembly") and the congregation of the assembly with the King, Louis XVI closed the third estate's assembly room to be prepared for this large scale gathering. The revolutionaries took this as a decisive act from the King against them, preventing them from coming together. In defiance they gathered in a nearby tennis court where they took an oath not to leave until they had defined a new constitution for France. This action was in direct opposition to the King and so began the revolution. The picture above is a painting of the tennis court oath by Jacques-Louis David, a politically important artist of the time. The first grievance was, of course, the issue with taxes. This was purely an issue of financial fairness - why should those who worked the hardest and earned the least have to give the greatest percentage of their earnings? The importance of this grievance sowed doubt and belief in other areas. Unhappy financially, the commoners began to see and think about their position and power over their society. This ultimately led them to seek justice in the government, which they found wanting. As James said, their political grievance was that not each person was given a vote in the assemblage of the three estates. The estates voted amongst themselves and gave an overall vote which was then tallied alongside the cumulative vote for the other two estates. So it was that even if one estate had many more people and represented a greater amount of France (the third estate) it could still be voted into submission if the smaller nobility and clergy chose to back each other. The third estate, being the largest, felt itself unfairly represented and so sought to create a national assembly where all persons in the voting party (no matter which estate they belonged to) had the same amount of representation. This was not received at all kindly by the nobility, while the clergy were strangely sympathetic to the commoners' cause. In any case, they were all forced to listen when the revolution began and the people forcibly took the power that they had been refused before.
Tennis Court Oath
The Tennis Court Oath was created in 1789 by members of the Third Estate. King Louis XIV, had originally held meetings with members from all three Estates. However, this was unfair, since they would often vote by party, rather than by person. The Third Party was usually outvoted by the other two parties. Members of the Third Party left, and created an assembly called the National Assembly. They invited members of the other two estates to join them, and many did. It was their goal to improve France. King Louis XIV did not let members of the National Assembly in to the estates meetings. The members then decided to meet up at a nearby indoor tennis court (actually a court for a game called the jeu de paume. The members refused to leave the court until they had come up with a constitution. And so, the Tennis Court Oath was born.
One of the National Assembly's main grievances was that the Third Estate made up most of the population, but had the least say in the state. The Third Party members were the ones who did all the manual labor, and the most physical work. The National Assembly members claimed that the nobility got the large majority of the money for hardly doing any work. It is a financial, mental, and physical complaint. The commoners received barely any money for the hard, physical labor they endured. They were at the bottom of the social ladder, even though they were the ones working extremely hard. The National Assembly believed that they should be recognized for their efforts.
Tennis Court Oath and Analysis of Grievances
Tennis Court Oath:
A term for when the delegates of the third estate in the Estates-General France in the 18th century swore an oath at an indoor tennis court that they would never separate until a Constitution had been written. They did this in order to put pressure on Louis XVI to give more power to the Third Estate, which made up 95% of the French population.
The main grievance of the third estate was that each delegate in the estates should receive a vote, instead of each estate receiving one vote. This is because the king allowed the third estate twice as many delegates because they made up the vast majority of France's population, and would give the third estate more power.
This is a purely political grievance, or call for reform, that the third estate brought up. In the past, the nobles and the clergy, who made up the other two estates, could outvote the third estate because each estate got one vote. This grievance led to the third estate declaring itself to be the National Assembly of France, which led to members of the other estates joining the National Assembly, which led to the third estate getting locked out of the meeting room, which led to the Tennis Court Oath, which led to Louis XVI relenting and giving the National Assembly control of France.
This grievance caused a major shift in political power and really shook up the way the country was run. In the past, the nobles and clergymen had always had the power, with the third estate and majority of the population voicing their opinions but constantly being outvoted 2-1. But now with the National Assembly running things in France the common people gained power, while the upper class people in society lost some of their power.
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