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2. American Revolution

The French monarch Louis XVI lost his head in 1793 at the hands of the National Convention. He attempted to flee France at a time when the Revolution took a turn for the radical, sealing his fate.

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2. American Revolution

"One if by land, two if by sea" was Paul Revere's order to his friend to alert the American revolutionary forces which way the British army was arriving. He rode through the streets of Boston at the very beginning of the conflict.

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2. American Revolution

Radical revolutionary Jean-Paul Marat wrote the celebrated paper "L'Ami du peuple" from his bathtub, due to a medical skin condition. He advocated for the rights of the poor, but also incited violence against enemies of the Revolution.

1. French Revolution
2. American Revolution

In one of the most dramatic events of the early revolution, Parisian women took to the streets en masse on October 5th, 1789 to protest the high prices for basic staples like bread. They stormed the hated Bastille prison, a symbol of the oppressive French monarchy.

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2. American Revolution

The Quartering Act of 1765 was one of the first so-called Intolerable Acts imposed by the British parliament on the Thirteen Colonies. It decreed that the Royal Army would be housed in public houses and inns at the colonists' expense.

1. French Revolution
2. American Revolution

The most frightful and bloody years of the French Revolution were under the Committee of Public Safety. Led by Georges Danton and Maximilien Robespierre, this powerful Jacobin body led purges of anti-revolutionary forces and tried to fight off foreign invading powers.

1. French Revolution
2. American Revolution

The early debates of the French Revolution centered around the unfair advantages of the First and Second Estates, or the clergy and the nobility. In 1789 the National Assembly decided to completely abolish feudalism in France, striking a blow to moderate reformers who wanted to keep the old system.

1. French Revolution
2. American Revolution

American colonists were fed up with the tyrannical taxes that they were forced to pay without any political say. So in May 1773, a group of demonstrators boarded a ship owned by the British East India Company and dumped tea into the harbor.

1. French Revolution
2. American Revolution

American patriot Nathaniel Hale said the fateful words before his execution early in the American Revolution. Hale belonged to Knowlton's Rangers, America's first intelligence organization.

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2. American Revolution

Classical liberal Enlightenment ideals concerning freedom and equality inspired Robespierre to introduce this French revolutionary motto. Today, it is the official motto of the former French nation of Haiti.

1. French Revolution
2. American Revolution

The French monarchy, along with the Spanish, allied with the Americans during their revolution against the British. Meanwhile, the young American government maintained a position of disapproving neutrality to the more radical French Revolution.

1. French Revolution
2. American Revolution

Inspired by the U.S. Declaration of Independence, the French wrote the Declaration of Rights of Man and the Citizen to kick off their revolution. Thomas Jefferson was invited to consult on the language and themes of the document.

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2. American Revolution

Relations between King George III and the Thirteen Colonies were at an all-time low in 1775. The Second Continental Congress agreed with John Dickinson to seek out one last road to peace when they unsuccessfully extended the Olive Branch Petition.

1. French Revolution
2. American Revolution

George Washington's iconic crossing of the icy Delaware River to surprise Hessian mercenaries in service of the British army is one of the most celebrated feats of the American Revolution. The Hessians were taken completely by surprise, cut down during their Christmas Eve celebrations.

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2. American Revolution

Thomas Paine wanted to write a pamphlet that broke down the argument for American independence and self-rule in a language that everyone could understand. The result is the most widely-circulated and best-selling publication in American history.

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2. American Revolution

Paranoia reached a deadly peak in Paris in September of 1792, when the revolutionaries were worried about the advancing royalist and foreign armies. In their frenzy, they executed over 1,000 people, mostly prisoners, in a matter of hours.

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2. American Revolution

A Connecticut colonist by birth, Benedict Arnold rose to the rank of Major General in the Continental Army and scored several major victories against the British Army. Then when he was in charge of defending West Point, he plotted to surrender the fortress over to the British in exchange for a large sum of money.

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2. American Revolution

After Napoleon's dreams of re-establishing a French empire in North America fizzled out, he sold an enormous swath of French territory to Thomas Jefferson in a bid to finance his wars in Europe. The 828,000 square miles of the territory now make up some land in 15 American states.

1. French Revolution
2. American Revolution

The USMC is one of the most decorated branches of the American armed forces. They got their start in 1775 and made several amphibious landings on British territory in the West Indies during the war.

1. French Revolution
2. American Revolution

This dramatic incident occurred when the Third Estate, representing the common French citizens, found themselves barred out of a National Assembly meeting. The delegation, which represented 98% of the French population, went to a tennis court in the neighborhood and swore that they would not rest until France had a constitution.

1. French Revolution
2. American Revolution

King George III grew hot under the collar losing the American colonies and then seeing his French counterpart beheaded, so he passed some legislative acts aimed to prevent revolutionary behavior on British soil. The measures targeted the Jacobin alehouse club and other institutions where talk of lawbreaking happened.

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2. American Revolution

In this defining conservative document, Edmund Burke argued that the French Revolution's abstract Enlightenment basis would devolve into chaos and dictatorship. The document was popular in its own time and would again come into use during the 20th century.

1. French Revolution
2. American Revolution

The American Revolution teetered on the brink of collapse during the brutal winter of 1777, as George Washington and the Continental Army camped at Valley Forge. The army had hoped to recapture the capital city of Philadelphia and spend the winter there but was forced to stay outside in the elements with poor supplies.

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2. American Revolution

King Louis XVI was forced to convene the Estates General for the first time in decades following a prolonged agricultural crisis in France. The Third Estate, composed of commoners representing 98% of the population, broke off and set the wheels in motion for the revolution.

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The Catholic Church had a hugely disproportionate share of wealth, land and power in France. So when committed rationalists like Maximilian Robespierre ran the show, they advocated a new state religion that would erase the influence of the hated Church.

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2. American Revolution

Tensions between colonists and British officials were high following the Boston Massacre, which is what led John Brown and his followers to burn the HMS Gaspee. The Gaspee drew the ire of Rhode Island colonists because it was a customs ship that inspected their cargo.

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2. American Revolution

While lofty ideals of liberty and fraternity influenced a lot of French revolutionaries, fundamental issues of subsistence led others to challenge the established order. Paris saw many food riots on the lead up to and throughout the French revolution.

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2. American Revolution

The guillotine is synonymous with the bloody excesses of the French Revolution, and the Revolutionary Tribunal is synonymous with the guillotine. This political court sentenced political traitors to death and gained immense power during the Reign of Terror.

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2. American Revolution

Brandywine was the largest battle of the American Revolution, with over 30,000 soldiers clashing outside of Philadelphia. The Continental Army under Washington was unable to fend off Sir William Howe and General Cornwallis, leading to the fall of the American capital at Philadelphia.

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2. American Revolution

George Washington was dismayed to receive news that a brigade of about 300 soldiers was in open mutiny and marching towards the Continental Congress to make demands. He squashed the rebellion and placed some of the rebels in front of a firing squad.

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2. American Revolution

The French Revolution sent shockwaves through Europe after revolutionaries executed the king and queen and seized Catholic Church lands. In the ensuing wars meant to quash the rebellion, Napoleon Bonaparte gained fame and power from stunning victories as an artillery captain.

1. French Revolution
2. American Revolution

Edmund Burke's condemnation of the French Revolution kickstarted a heated and earnest discussion of the merits and drawbacks of the revolutionary experiment in France. Thinkers like Mary Wollstonecraft advocated for the French cause in the early years of the revolution, but most withdrew support during the reign of terror.

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2. American Revolution

Tensions in colonial towns ran high as the American Revolution forced most people to pick a side, often pitting neighbor against neighbor. In some instances, loyalists were tarred and feathered and dragged through town. The French opted for the swift efficiency of the guillotine.

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2. American Revolution

The North African nation of Morocco formally recognized the new United States government in 1786, the first country to do so. Thomas Barclay traveled to Marrakesh and inked the deal with the Sultan.

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2. American Revolution

The hated Tea Act of 1773 granted the British East India Company a monopoly on the trade market in the colonies, undercutting colonial merchants. This was the last of the so-called Intolerable Acts and led to the infamous Boston Tea Party.