First Cousins in Rebellion
We Americans still consider ourselves a nation of rebels. Why? America was born from rebellion. The colonists rebelled against England when all other avenues of protest proved fruitless. France too is a nation of rebels. During the same time as the colonists' struggle against England, France was also exploring various avenues of protest in their own fight for justice and individual liberties. They too rebelled, struck down their monarchy, and set up a republic. Neither country would be what it is today without protest and rebellion. In fact, when you look at the timeline of American protests compared to those of France, you will notice an unusual number of similarities. One could say they are first cousins in rebellion.
Let's give the ol' imagination something fun to do, shall we? Imagine for a few minutes that you have hijacked Doc's DeLorean, a certain Time Lord's TARDIS, or whatever time travel machine you prefer, and have used it to travel back in time. The year is now 1776. You find yourself in Philadelphia where the Second Continental Congress is meeting at this very moment in what will come to be called Independence Hall. They had drafted up a document earlier that summer, sent it around the colonies to be ratified, and are just concluding any further debates before the delegates get up to sign it as you walk in the back door. It is early August, and there is no A/C. It's quite stuffy inside this room filled with delegates from all thirteen colonies. As the delegates are called one by one to come sign the document, a thick silence quickly fills the air. You could cut the gravity and tension with a knife. This is no laughing matter nor a cause for celebration. The delegates are putting their names down, in permanent ink, on a document that is nothing short of treasonous. Yet righteous conviction burns in each heart as they sign their name. You may have already guessed that the document everyone is gathering to sign is the Declaration of Independence. It declares the American colonies to be independent and separate from England and its sphere of rule and influence. The colonies have decided to govern themselves.
Let's get some perspective now shall we? England was a major power at that time don't forget. One could argue it was The Power in the Western world. Not only that, but America was also originally established as a British colony with the appropriate agreements and “official documents” stating as much. There were even leaders designated by the king of England still in power in the colonies.
Now let's fast forward a bit. America has now fought an all-out war with England. The colonists were vastly outnumbered and under-supplied. But! There was a Frenchman involved from practically the beginning, the Marquis de Lafayette, who suffered with the Continental Army every step of the way. He was even with George Washington and his men at Valley Forge. Due in part to Lafayette's efforts and in part to a Treaty of Alliance signed with the United States in 1778, France also provided much needed support and supplies. During the war, France provided around 12,000 soldiers and roughly 32,000 sailors in the American fight for independence. The Continental Army defied the odds of taking on a superpower, and the English surrendered at Yorktown. (You may or may not have heard a Broadway song about this.)
It is now 1789. The time machine being set on historical rebellions, your time machine not only has jumped forward thirteen years but also hopped over the Pond. You step out and find yourself in Paris, the city for lovers. If you have never seen the Eiffel Tower, you’re out of luck. It hasn’t been built yet. Looking for the L’Arc de Triomphe? Your luck still has not improved; it’s not here. The main clue is the French speaking people around you in this enormous city that stretches on for miles. This must be Paris. You know your history well and remember important things went down in Paris in 1789. You start walking down what must be the Champs-Élysées and turn eastward to witness history in the making.
It's July in the city, and Thomas Jefferson is still in Paris but will be returning to America in late September. He has been helping the French draft their own bill of rights, so to speak, to present to the king. France too has a National Assembly somewhat like the colonists' Continental Congress where representative members have been struggling for more freedoms and rights for the people. France's economy is not doing so well after they aided America with their revolution. No, let's be honest: it's doing terribly. The peasants are starving and are upset. The bourgeoisie (middle class) are kept from holding any positions of power and are upset. The nobles are trying to stabilize the economy and are upset. The only one seemingly not upset is the king who seems to be continuing like he always has. He's living the life of luxury and extravagance, especially considering the current economic state. Yet even he is upset with all the appeals from the National Assembly and discord throughout the nation. Ideas about the monarchy have changed, and the nobles want a better power split. The king is no longer seen as divine, and the king knows it. He wants to quash these french patriots once and for all.
Walking down the street, you can feel the ripple America has sent across the Atlantic with their successful revolution. Like the colonists, the French are vibrating with the philosophies of Rousseau, Descartes, and Locke. If the Americans can defy mighty England and succeed, the possibilities are endless for the resilient French as well. They too feel ready to ditch their monarchical rulers. It seems the whole of France is lying in wait as you stroll down the Champs-Élysées until you see some people running by and shouting and others, while not running, moving to their respective destinations with definite purpose. You manage to slow a passerby just long enough to ask what is going on. Your French is weak, and they don’t speak English, but you recognize one word as they brush you off, blurt out a response, and pick up speed once again: Bastille. You manage to make your way to the Bastille with great difficulty; there are no road signs in 18th century Paris. The scene there is nothing short of chaotic. The prison has been overrun, but you keep a safe distance.
Being the excellent history student you are, you know what's coming, so you quickly find your way back to your trusty time machine and jump forward a few more years. Paris of 1793: the year that the monarchy in France officially died. The king has been put on trial and found “guilty” of treason. As you step out of the time machine, you see before you a plaza filled to bursting with people. The sight dead ahead makes you blanch with realization that you are in the Place de la Révolution where the king is going to be executed by guillotine. You look out at the crowd that has gathered, and there are many that behave like this is merely a play, a piece of theater in its casualty. Yet this is no play. Some seem happy that the king is being executed while others have a fierce and distinct hate burning in their eyes. They seem to be the embodiment of eagerness as they feel justice will finally rule France. France is about to put an end to a monarchy that has been in place for over two centuries. Public executions, especially during the French Revolution, are never pretty. Not wanting to stick around for the show as the saying goes, you quickly hop back in your time machine and head home to your own time.
The revolutions of America and France were indeed similar in that they gave birth to a new era of individual liberty and equality not yet experienced in these countries. Both countries drafted and signed historical constitutions within six years of each other. America’s revolution bore abundant fruit as delegates set up a new system of government in a peaceful manner that would remain in place for the next 247 years. However, in France, freedom and equality was longer in coming and a stable government was often a fleeting thing. After the storming of the Bastille, France was catapulted in a violent and bloody revolution that erupted into a period of true terror with Robespierre and the guillotine. The king was killed and monarchy ended, but France’s government never seemed to find its “sweet spot” until after World War I. It has weathered the likes of Napoleon and even a restored monarchy for a brief period of time. It has had thirteen different Constitutions and a few Republics in its pursuit for the ultimate state of liberty. Now in its Fifth Republic that was established in 1958, France’s government finally seems to have settled.
Like first cousins, these two nations grew up close yet individual. As each felt more and more secure, they started to go their own ways, yet they were never completely able to forget what they had in common. Nor can they forget the literal blood they have shed for each other. Despite failing to aid the patriots of France as promised during the alarming French Revolution, America never forgot what France did for her during her own rebellion against England. America has always remained an ally to the French. America remembered its promise in a big way when France arguably needed her the most in June of 1944. America joined other Allied powers and helped France regain its freedom from Nazi occupation. Second to Germany, America lost more casualties during the D-Day Operation than any other country. Our promise from so long ago to come to France’s aid was finally fulfilled.
You can practically see historical relations in play when you take a look and analyze the stereotypes each country has of the other. The French see Americans as loud and pushy while Americans see the French as snotty and rude. However, upon closer inspection, it is their very similarities in ideology that set them at odds with each other at times and makes these stereotypes humorous. Both nations are made up of strong people. Both are very proud of who they are and what they stand for. Both countries fought hard and defied the odds to be where they are today as independent nations. Both believe in ruling themselves absolutely. Both believe a government should fairly represent its people, and the people should have a say in that government. Both were born from revolutions that literally changed the world. Both were born from similar philosophies yet have grown up to be their own, individual nation much like first cousins who start out life side by side and arm in arm but grow up to become proud, independent, and extremely capable adults with their own ideas on how to do things.
Americans and the French alike still speak out loudly against injustices today. When words do not work, they protest, sometimes violently. From the Women’s Suffrage Movement in the late 19th century to the Civil Rights Movement in the 50's and 60's, America has proven time and time again that it is willing to protest and act against injustices. In 2020, America saw a fresh set of protests break out after the death of George Floyd. Some of these protests were peaceful, but the majority of protests broke out in terrible violence that caused great amounts of harm and damage, not the least of which has left a residual impact on our nation’s unity. France too recognized Women's Rights in the late 19th century, and there was a parallel Civil Rights Movement during the 50's and 60's as well. 2023 has been a tumultuous year of fresh protests in France. In the beginning of the year, the Assemblée Nationale began deliberating a new bill proposed by the French President Emmanuel Macron that would change the retirement age from 62 to 64. It was President Macron's hope that the pension bill would be one step in the effort to alleviate budget deficits. The bill met with great resistance both in the government and on the streets with unions and public workers. The final budget was only just passed in September, but it did not pass without causing major political issues within the French government that are still being addressed today.
This past summer, events transpired that once again ignited the undercurrent of protest in France. A teenager was shot and killed by a police officer, and violent protesters hit the streets. Like the 2020 protests in America, this set of protests was more violent and caused more damage than that of the French pensioners earlier in the year. The majority of protesters were youths. Also like America, a lasting effect of these violent protests is not only property damage but also an increased belligerence towards the police force and its authority that is still being addressed. Because a large portion of the summer protesters were youths, focus on the responsibilities of the french family unit have also come to the forefront of the political scene.
America and France provide two significant examples in the pursuit of freedom and equality. The two countries were pioneers in liberty and equality and still are. The world looks to America and France and how the two handle issues that arise within each nation. Like the two revolutions, France's reactions are often quick and lean on the extreme side. While America's approach seems to take longer, the changes made appear to be lasting ones. Neither country is perfect. (They both are made up of human beings after all.) However, these two nations who bicker at times like first cousins, stand for the same things more often than not: independence, freedom, equality, and justice for all.
Sources:
Encyclopedia Britannica Online: www.britannica.com
“French Revolution”-www.monticello.org
American Battlefield Trust: www.battlefields.org
National Geographic Society: education.nationalgeographic.org/
“Paris City Hall’s Square Was Once a Gruesome Public Execution Site” by Courtney Traub. https://www.parisunlocked.com/history-of-paris/paris-city-halls-square-was-once-a-gruesome-public-execution-site/
France 24. https://www.france24.com/en/
