The+Poor

=The Poor: =

What hardships did the poor face, and how did they respond to these hardships?


//__Who were they?__//
In France during the 18th century, part of the poor people residing there were peasants, and peasantry made up a large fraction of the population. There were at least 21 million peasants in France, all of whom were impoverished, despite the fact that in general, French peasants had more fortunate lives than those of other European countries. There were also many slaves that made up of the population in France that was poor--500,000 people. They were put to hard work in France, and were given ill treatment and low pay.

//__How were they treated?__//
Not only the peasants had to help pay for the debts that had been created by the war, but also the rest of the poorer population in general. They had to pay extra money to the king and the church, and additional indirect taxes when purchasing wine, salt, or bread. Peasants had labor obligations to keep, and prices of products and rent that they had to pay kept rising. The slave system was controlled through edicts that assigned harsh punishments for slaves that resisted their owners.

//__How did they respond?__//
The peasants were very open compared to the other groups of poor people about what they disliked about how they were treated by society and they were determined to get what they wanted. The peasants used to hold frequent riots, which were always met with horrible punishments like pillory, torture, and hanging. The peasants had great power working together, and threatened that of the government. The number of risings made by the peasants gradually started increasing as time passed. Also, as the revolution progressed, more and more people began supporting the granting of rights to blacks and the abolishing of slave trade. Although slaves could not very well speak for themselves and explain their viewpoints because they were illiterate, powerful people like the royal governor of Saint Domingue had their own opinions. He stated that "the slaves considered the new revolutionary cockade a 'signal of the manumission of the whites . . . the blacks all share an idea that struck them spontaneously: that the white slaves kill their masters and now free they govern themselves and regain possession of the land.'"

Bibliography:
"Chapter 8 Page 1." Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2011. .
 * Text**:

"The Great French Revolution ." DANA WARD'S HOMEPAGE. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2011. .

"Lecture 11: The Origins of the French Revolution." The History Guide -- Main. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2011. .

realromania. "Medieval Peasant Costume." Squidoo : Welcome to Squidoo. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2011. .
 * Images:**

"Slave Clipart #443789 by Ron Leishman | Royalty-Free (RF) Stock Illustrations & Vector Graphics."//Illustrations Of | Cartoons, Clip Art, Vector Graphics, and 3d Images//. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2011. .