Ricardo R. Gongora
A Revolutionary Epitaph:
One Root, One Republic, One Terror
October 1, 2010
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A Revolutionary Epitaph:
One Root, One Republic, One Terror
by: Ricardo Gongora
The concept of change is a powerful one which, once exponentially amplified, may have
such a large impact that it may be deemed revolutionary. This revolutionary type change is quite
truly, the focus of 18
th
Century France and the Americas. It is a time etched in history defined by
the Enlightenment, a time of philosophical and scientific development, followed by two distinct
revolutions: The American and French Revolutions. Though these two revolutions have similar
roots, - based on the pursuit of common goals, a need for a representative government and a new
order - it is difference in
unity
,
experiences and leadership
, and the
borrowed notion of a
revolution
that ultimately causes the difference outcome of these two revolutions: A Unified
American Republic, and A French Terror.
Differences in what „
Unity
‟ meant
is one of the key elements that led to the eventual
polar outcomes of the French and American Revolutions. For the people in America at that time,
the concept of unity was more widespread and commonplace. Two „leaders‟ of the
American
Revolution, J
efferson and Lafayette “knew well that for the young republic, a sense of unity was
essential” (22). Though both countries ideally wanted „unity‟, France
s

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- Spring '11
- Misc
- Democracy, French Revolution, American Revolution, Age of Enlightenment
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