Entry 1: Write a journal entry as if you were in the Third Estate during

the time of the Estates-General. What are your goals for the assembly? What hardships do you face? What happened at Bastille and how does that make you feel? Student Example 1: My goal as a member of the Third Estate is not to completely cut out taxes, but to reduce the amount. I believe that taxes are very expensive and at times I understand why we wouldn't want to pay them but I also believe in the importance of collecting tax money to put towards imperative causes. Another future goal of mine would be to set free the poorest group consisting of slaves and domestic servants. They may be needed at times but they should not be treated as they are now. They deserve as much respect in return as they give to us. Along with my wants and desires comes hardships. It is hard for my middle class members to have no political power and it is hard for my poorest group to come up with money for food, essentials, and even tax money and it is hardest for my Peasants who struggle financially, considering they get paid half as much as nobles and have to pay 10% of their earnings to churches and tax collectors. I need to work out a system that can allow my poorest class to have a little more financial aid because they work hard and deserve it. My Peasants need to find a way to obtain more money without having to give so much of it back and my tax payers will sign an agreement understanding the importance of tax and agreeing to pay for their taxes, as soon as they are lowered. It's been hard to focus on my goals because of the attack on the Bastille. It claimed the lives of one hundred people! On July 14th, a mob searching for gunpowder and arms stormed the Bastille. The Paris Prison became a great symbolic act of revolution to the French people but I continue working on my goals and priorities as this disastrous distraction continues going through my mind.

Student Example 2: I am a banker in the third estate, I get little pay and most of it goes to taxes. With my knowledge of the enlightenment and of mathematics I deserve to be well recognized and have more privileges. For the assembly I want to make it known that much of the middle class has more skills and knowledge than the nobles and that we should be awarded for that. I also, most importantly, want to end absolute monarchy and have more of a vote in the Estates- General. After the meeting of the EstatesGeneral we got our own separate government known as the National Assembly. The storming of the Bastille was a massacre by the middle class, or third estate, in that they murdered guards and paraded the streets with their heads on pikes all because of a rumor that Louis XIV was going to shut down the National Assembly. When this happened i was very enraged and didn't know what to believe but at this time to stay safe and get what your party wanted you had to go with the flow of everyone else. Student Example 3: My name is Ralph van Dealore and I am currently considered to be in the Third Estate. It is July 15th 1789 and times are hard working as a merchant. To give you a background, the estate I'm in makes up most of the population and pays most of the taxes unfairly. Considering the fact that we are the poorest of all the three estates, I think and know it is horribly unfair to make us pay almost all of the taxes. It's hard enough barely earning enough money to put food on the table for my family, but with all of the extra taxes on our estate makes it even more difficult to survive. If we ever got our say to the higher class (if they ever listened), we would most definitely ask for fairer taxes on us because we make a lot less money than the other two estates. So yesterday was the storming of the Bastille- the big prison in Paris. Yes, I was in this mob and after it ended I felt very accomplished and rebellious. I was a little weary when the leaders of this rebellion stuck heads of guards and such on pikes, but it felt good to be united with my fellow sufferers.

Student Example 4: 5/5/1789 There has been a meeting called for our representatives to approve yet another tax of the king's. How surprised I was to learn that this tax he proposes is placed upon the nobility! But it is inevitable that we will be outvoted by the first and second estates. We need to voice the troubles of the third estate as we are suffering and we are the overwhelming majority. There's been talk of starting a revolution, and I feel it is not long away. 7/15/1789 My family and friends have not eaten in days. I scour the streets in search of some work or food. I cannot live under these conditions, which is why I've decided to join the revolution. I fought at Bastille yesterday and helped tear down the walls of oppression to obtain gunpowder to fight the nobles. Things are looking upward and our revenge will be swift and bloody, for the nobles.

Entry 2: You are, again, a member of the Third Estate. React to at least
three major events in Chapter 23.2. Make sure you demonstrate an understanding of the three events that you have chosen. Please give yourself a name and also flesh out your character. We will revisit them a few more times. Student Example 1: My name is Jacques Pierre Louis and i am a member of France's Third Estate. As a merchant I pay high taxes, while nobles have to pay next to nothing. King Louis XIV is not only an incredibly dumb and useless ruler, but he is a coward as well! Just because Louis XIV doesn't hold full power anymore, nor get the luxury to spend the countries' money while living in a lavish palace, he decides to flee! He is truly a disgrace to France and has caused nothing but harm to the well-being of the country. If he had escaped to the Austrian-

Netherlands there is no doubt in my mind that he would have convinced the Austrians to help him retain his power. He should be thrown in the Guillotine! The only upside to this whole thing is that Louis is being forced to sign every piece of legislation thrown at him, which is slowly taking away all his power! The National Assembly has even created a new constitution, which in effect created a constitutional monarchy. A new legislative body was even created called the Legislative Assembly. This new body had the power to create laws and decide on whether to declare war. This is a huge step in creating a government with fair laws that benefit the Third Estate as well as the upper class. The only problem we face now is that we don't have support from other countries. Austria and Prussia want Louis to be restored as the absolute ruler. As a result we are now going to war. The Prussians are advancing to Paris in an attempt to get Louis back on the throne. We will not have it! We shall fight until we are victorious! We will not stop! We have even devised a plan to storm the royal palace and imprison the royal family! The radicals of France will settle for nothing less then victory and justice! Student Example 2: Dear Journal, It's me again, Ralph van Dealore, the third estate merchant! I haven't written in quite a while. As I've told you before, the estate I'm in makes up most of the population and pays most of the taxes unfairly. Since the storming of the Bastille, however, my fellow people and I have decided to stand up against the horrors of the thing they call "government." by standing up, we got something called "The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen" in 1789. This declared the rights of "life, liberty, security, and resistance to opposition" to us citizens in need. I feel very strongly about this and it effects my family and i very much, as well as my friends. In 1791 we got the National Assembly to make a new constitution that also limited the authority of the monarchy. This means that Louis's power is now very limited and most of us are very satisfied. On last thing I am very proud someone came up with is the

guillotine because then now we can kill many people in a very short amount of time. Mwahahaha. Right now we are awaiting a very important and symbolic beheading. The beheading of former king, Loius XVI. He is a horrible king, person and human being and he deserves to die. Once he is gone, there is sure to be a much better life ahead for us.

Entry 3: As your French Persona, react to the two articles that you
presented in class today. Student Example 1: As an ordinary citizen named Ralph, article 4 of the Declaration of the Rights Man and of the Citizen, is very important to me! This article tells me that I can do anything I want as long as it doesn't hurt anyone else. This is fabulous news to me and many others. One flaw in this article is that we can do whatever we want but we also have to follow the laws. I guess it's for the best... Article 6 is also very important to me because it grants us citizens the right to participate in our government through a representative (or personally). Also it gives all citizens equality so we can technically be whoever we want to be (occupation wise). This supposedly checks you on your actual skills rather than it being given to someone by their title. Student Example 2: Finally, the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen has been drafted and passed. The first two articles appeal to be in a very special manner. Article 1 states that men are born and remain free and equal in rights. This is just fantastic as it means despite everyone's differences, we are all still equal. In addition social distinctions may only be founded upon the

general good, which ensures there will not be discrimination. Article 2 states that the aim of all political association is to preserve the natural and imperceptible rights of man. It also lists the right as liberty, property, security, and resistance to oppression. This guarantees that we will always have our rights and no political leader can strip us of them. Together these articles will free us from oppression and protect our right to be free.