In history, there has always been conflict. There are endless numbers of reasons for these conflicts, but occasionally several will have the same universal cause. The belief that one group is superior over another has been one of these universal causes of conflict in society. The British women’s suffrage movement, the Haitian revolution, and the French revolution are all examples of this cause of conflict: Superiority by gender, race, and class.
In the mid 19th century, British women began fighting for their right to vote. Over the course of about 60 years, British women formed organizations and militant suffragettes practiced civil disobedience to attract attention to their cause and fight the prejudices of that time. After World War I, thanks …show more content…
The white men were the highest in society, while the African slaves had absolutely no rights and the Africans that weren’t slaves had very limited ones. There were also the mulattoes, which were people of mixed race. They were usually free, and some even owned plantations and slaves themselves, but some remained slaves (“Haiti (Overview)”). This racial inequality is what sparked a revolution to gain freedom for slaves and equal rights for other Africans and mulattoes. Other than the slavery of Africans, one of the other inequalities was the segregation of mulattoes. They previously had mostly equal rights, but as their population rose, the French colonists pushed for restrictions and the mulattoes were “segregated in theaters and churches, were forbidden to ride in carriages or to wear fashionable clothing or carry firearms, and were no longer allowed to legally marry whites” (“Haiti (Overview)”). This further separated the white colonists from the people of other races and made sure they didn’t gain too much power. To stay in power themselves, they continued taking away the few rights the non-white people had. After that, the French Revolution had occurred, but the colonial leaders still refused to grant the mulattoes more rights. This led to an uprising that resulted in more rights …show more content…
One of the major issues was unfair taxes on the lower class by King Louis XVI to pay for the constant wars, but the upper class was exempt. The aristocracy of France believed they had “unquestioned privilege” (Nadis), and therefore should not have to pay taxes like the commoners. These taxes led to starvation, as the taxes on food became too expensive. As the Enlightenment occurred, people began to question the social classes more. When Louis XVI tried to get the upper class to pay taxes, they held a vote. Each estate was given one vote, even though the Third Estate, the middle and lower class, was significantly larger. This, therefore, prevented the Third Estate from having enough power to make the clergy and nobles pay tax. The Third Estate made up 96% of the population, yet had none of the same privileges of the 4% made up of the First and Second Estates. The mistreatment of the majority of the country led to mass protest, including the storming of the Bastille. The Third Estate overpowered the others with mobs, which led to the Second estate giving up their unfair privileges. The Third Estate joined as the National Assembly and passed the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen. When Louis did not approve of the constitution, he and his family were placed under house arrest and many aristocrats fled the country. The unfair social structure of
In the mid 19th century, British women began fighting for their right to vote. Over the course of about 60 years, British women formed organizations and militant suffragettes practiced civil disobedience to attract attention to their cause and fight the prejudices of that time. After World War I, thanks …show more content…
The white men were the highest in society, while the African slaves had absolutely no rights and the Africans that weren’t slaves had very limited ones. There were also the mulattoes, which were people of mixed race. They were usually free, and some even owned plantations and slaves themselves, but some remained slaves (“Haiti (Overview)”). This racial inequality is what sparked a revolution to gain freedom for slaves and equal rights for other Africans and mulattoes. Other than the slavery of Africans, one of the other inequalities was the segregation of mulattoes. They previously had mostly equal rights, but as their population rose, the French colonists pushed for restrictions and the mulattoes were “segregated in theaters and churches, were forbidden to ride in carriages or to wear fashionable clothing or carry firearms, and were no longer allowed to legally marry whites” (“Haiti (Overview)”). This further separated the white colonists from the people of other races and made sure they didn’t gain too much power. To stay in power themselves, they continued taking away the few rights the non-white people had. After that, the French Revolution had occurred, but the colonial leaders still refused to grant the mulattoes more rights. This led to an uprising that resulted in more rights …show more content…
One of the major issues was unfair taxes on the lower class by King Louis XVI to pay for the constant wars, but the upper class was exempt. The aristocracy of France believed they had “unquestioned privilege” (Nadis), and therefore should not have to pay taxes like the commoners. These taxes led to starvation, as the taxes on food became too expensive. As the Enlightenment occurred, people began to question the social classes more. When Louis XVI tried to get the upper class to pay taxes, they held a vote. Each estate was given one vote, even though the Third Estate, the middle and lower class, was significantly larger. This, therefore, prevented the Third Estate from having enough power to make the clergy and nobles pay tax. The Third Estate made up 96% of the population, yet had none of the same privileges of the 4% made up of the First and Second Estates. The mistreatment of the majority of the country led to mass protest, including the storming of the Bastille. The Third Estate overpowered the others with mobs, which led to the Second estate giving up their unfair privileges. The Third Estate joined as the National Assembly and passed the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen. When Louis did not approve of the constitution, he and his family were placed under house arrest and many aristocrats fled the country. The unfair social structure of