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Tennis Court Oath
The Oath was a pledge signed by 576 of the 577 members from the Third Estate who were locked out of a meeting of the Estates-General. -
Storming the Bastille
First used as a state prison in the 17th century, and its cells were reserved for upper-class felons, political troublemakers, and spies. Most were imprisoned without a trial under direct orders of the king. 100 feet tall and surrounded by a moat 80 feet wide, the Bastille was an imposing structure in the Parisian landscape. -
The Great Fear
A general panic that occurred at the start of the French Revolution. -
August Decrees
Nineteen decrees made by the National Constituent Assembly during the French Revolution. -
Declaration of the rights of man and of the citizen
Passed by France's National Constituent Assembly in August 1789, is a fundamental document of the French Revolution and in the history of human and civil rights. -
Women's march on versailles
Crowd of women demanding bread for their families gathered other discontented Parisians, including some men, and marched toward Versailles, arriving soaking wet from the rain. -
Civil Constitution of the Clergy
A law passed during the French Revolution, that subordinated the Roman Catholic Church in France to the French government. -
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Constitution of 1791
Created by the National Assembly during the French Revolution. The franchise was restricted to “active” citizens who paid a minimal sum in taxes; about two-thirds of adult men had the right to vote for electors and to choose certain local officials directly. The constitution lasted less than a year. -
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September Massacres
Wave of killings in Paris and other cities during the French Revolution. -
Establishment of the French Republic
Voted to abolish the monarchy immediately and establish a republic.
