I'm not sure what to do with him tbh. I just noted him because of his close relationship with the Founding Fathers, and is probably paying attention to what's happening to try to avoid it in France too. I might be wrong though, as the French Revolution could also go 100% as OTL right down to Napoleon. I'm in the exploratory stage.
America Without a Bay: A Divided Country
- Thread starter PGSBHurricane
- Start date
Always been a fan of his so do whatever you're planning I got faith in you sir 🙃
Thanks for your faith in me. You probably got more than I do tbh.
You gotta keep on keepin in dude as Joe Dirt said in better times!
Thanks. I'm currently working on the next chapter so it should be on the horizon.
I'm about halfway done with the next chapter so it should be published soon (hopefully by next week). And sorry for any delays. I've just been exploring other things recently as well as real life catching up to me.
That’s perfectly understandable. Real life stuff always takes precedence.
Though there are times when my short memory comes as a blessing. After a while I forget that I was waiting for something and the belated update comes as a pleasant surprise. “Oh! I forgot that I was watching that timeline! How delightful!”
Thanks for your understanding. I'm also doing a bit more research for future chapters. And I agree that when enough time passes that you forget you were anticipating another update and then move on, the new update is a pleasant surprise.
Chapter Seven: Prelude to Revolution
Chapter Seven: Prelude to Revolution
By the end of May 1789, the Estates-General had reached a complete stalemate. Neither the Third Estate nor the other two estates were willing to budge. They also rejected the Third Estate’s attempt at jointly verifying the credentials of the Estates as they did not want to give up their 2-1 voting advantage. The result was that the Third Estate (now calling itself the Communes or Commons) verified its membership on its own. In turn, the Third Estate voted to proceed with a far more radical measure on June 17, 1789, declaring itself as the National Assembly of France and that all existing taxes would be illegal. Amazingly, within two days, over 100 clergymen joined them as part of the National Assembly after being invited. The shaken King resisted this and attempted to annul the decrees of the Assembly, restore the separation of the orders, and dictate the new reforms in the Estates-General (such as a newly proposed reform package). Despite not being informed, On June 20, King Louis XVI ordered the hall where the National Assembly met to close on June 20. Nevertheless, they reiterated their oath at a nearby tennis court (swearing the Tennis Court Oath) and refused to disperse until the government agreed upon a new Constitution. They moved to the Church of St. Louis two days later when the royals deprived them of the court. At this point, the majority of the delegates in the clergy joined them. The monarchy was in a more precarious situation than ever.
On June 23, during the royal session (séance royale) the King announced a series of tax and other reforms, including a clause suspending new taxes and loans without the consent of the Estates-General. He also announced a constitution granted by royal favor, which affirmed separate deliberation for the three orders (or three Estates) as subject to the traditional limitations, which constitutionally formed three chambers. The King saw the Estates as Holy institutions and it would be up to each estate to agree to end their privileges and decide how they would vote moving forward. This measure failed due to the dwindling numbers of Estates members as more clergy members in the First Estate joined with the Third Estate in the National Assembly. Eventually, on June 27, the threat of demonstrations and mutinies among the French Guard led the King to command the remnants of the clergy in the First Estate and the nobility of the Second Estate to join the National Assembly. On July 9, 1789, the Estates-General ceased to exist, becoming the National Assembly and later being renamed the National Constituent Assembly). That same day, the Assembly appointed a committee to draft the Constitution and Statement of Rights. Marquis de Lafayette developed the first draft of what would become the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen with the help of his North American friend Thomas Jefferson. The Declaration was approved and published on August 26.
Earlier that summer, a flashpoint occurred leading up to the new French constitution. Paris was close to insurrection and showed much enthusiasm for the National Assembly. As debates raged in the Assembly, the Parisian press published these, and debates thus spread into the public squares, the halls of the capital, and even the Palais-Royal. Even basic reforms had gone too far for the nobles in Louis XVI’s privy council and the king’s brother and Marie Antoinette. Taking their advice, Louis had his finance minister, Jacques Necker, dismissed on July 11 due to his sympathies with the Third Estate. The Assembly went into a continuous session the next day after rumors circulated that he planned to use German and Swiss mercenaries (half of the regular troops in Paris) to shut them down. The news brought crowds of protestors into the streets that afternoon, as many feared this was part of a larger conservative coup, and soldiers of the Gardes Françaises refused to disperse them. Camille Desmoulins successfully rallied the protestors against the foreign mercenaries. Displaying busts of Necker and the Duke of Orleans, public demonstrators marched onward from the Palais Royal through the theatre district, clashing with the Royal German Cavalry Regiment. The Regiment unleashed a calvary charge at what is now Place de la Concorde that dispersed much of the remaining protestors. However, this would only be part one of a much bigger event that would take France by storm.
Unrest remained as high as ever among the Parisian people. They attacked customs posts, which they blamed for increasing food prices, and plundered any place where food, guns, and other supplies might be hoarded, including Saint-Lazare, where rumors spread that supplies were being hordered there. They seized 52 wagons of wheat and took them to the public market, and royal troops did nothing to stop the chaos in Paris. On the morning of July 14, crowds called for pulling back the cannons within the towers and walls of the Bastille (a royal fortress) and releasing its arms and gunpowder. In the afternoon, an impatient mob surged into an undefended courtyard. The crowd ignored falls for the crowd's withdrawal from the Bastille. Governor Bernard-René de Launay ordered a ceasefire at 5:00 pm, but he capitulated within half an hour, and the mobs took over the fortress. Dozens of attackers and defenders of the Bastille died due to the battle, including Launay himself, who was taken to the Hôtel de Ville, stabbed repeatedly, his head raised on a pike, and paraded through the streets. The King took note of the apparent aftermath the next morning. He announced his return to Paris and the recall of Necker. His commanders backed down, and the 23 Royal regiments retreated to frontier garrisons. The Marquis de la Fayette took command of the National Guard, and Jean-Sylvain Bailly (leader of the Third Estate) became the city's mayor under the Commune de Paris. The consequences would be far-reaching on both sides of the Atlantic.
Much like IOTL this is the start of the French Revolution. But whether or not it remains exactly like IOTL is to be seen considering the role of one of OTLs American Founding Fathers and his connections to someone influential in the French Revolution, or at least the early stages of it.
Jefferson seen as an ally of Lafayette and becoming a victim of the Jacobins would be huge.
Considering their OTL friendship and with Jefferson’s desire to help France peacefully transition from monarchy to republic, this would almost not surprise me. Also with an independent Virginia here, it wouldn’t surprise me if Thomas Jefferson helps establish relations with France fairly quickly and he finds himself back in France.
I'm not completely decided yet but I think I will focus the next chapter on Europe and its whereabouts some more before returning to the Americas.
Right now I have a bit of writer's block so the next update might not be for a bit but I promise I will post as soon as I can get over this.
I think I'm recovering from my writer's block but I still have yet to fully work out the details for the next update.