Founding a Nation & the French Revolution
Essential Question
Why did two great revolutions — American and French — end so differently?
This week sets two great revolutions side by side. In America, the founders move from the failed Articles of Confederation to the Constitutional Convention of 1787, producing a Constitution and Bill of Rights and a peaceful first presidency. In France, a revolution that began with high hopes for liberty descends into the Terror and a violent assault on the Church. The week asks why two revolutions sharing Enlightenment language ended so differently.
Liturgical note: EASTERTIDE (April) — the season of new life and resurrection joy. The contrast between the American founding's ordered new beginning and the French Revolution's bloodshed offers a meditation on what kind of 'new life' endures.
Threads at a Glance
What Each Thread Covers This Week
The French Revolution (1789); the Terror; the attack on the Church; how it differed from the American founding; the wider Atlantic revolutions (Haiti).
The frontier closes: railroad, cowboys, and the Plains wars
James Madison — Father of the Constitution.
The new United States and revolutionary France; the early US (states + Northwest Territory) and France's new departments.
Neoclassicism in full — Jacques-Louis David ('Oath of the Horatii,' 'Death of Marat'); American neoclassical architecture (Jefferson, the Capitol).
Beethoven — the bridge from Classical to Romantic; music and revolution (the 'Eroica').
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton — first US-born saint; founder of Catholic schools.
Responsibility — ordered liberty.
YOUCAT — synthesis of Life in Christ: virtue, grace, and the moral life (Q298-Q311).
Modifiers — misplaced and dangling modifiers.
Compare and contrast essay — the American vs. the French Revolution.
Weekly Writing Assignment
Two Revolutions: A Compare-and-Contrast Essay
The American and French Revolutions both invoked liberty and the rights of man, yet they ended very differently. Write a compare-and-contrast essay (introduction, body, conclusion) examining BOTH revolutions across three criteria of your choice — for example: their causes, their treatment of religion, their use of violence, their attitude toward existing institutions, or their final results. Use specific evidence for each. Conclude by explaining WHY you think they ended so differently.
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- Clear thesis that previews the comparison and hints at the 'why.'
- Compares both revolutions across at least three explicit criteria.
- Uses specific, accurate evidence for each revolution (names, dates, events).
- Uses a consistent organization (point-by-point OR block) with strong transitions.
- Reaches a reasoned conclusion explaining the different outcomes; correct grammar throughout.
The Week
Four Days of Learning
- St. Elizabeth Ann Seton — First US-Born Saint10m
- The French Revolution: From Hope to Terror30m
- Life in Christ: Virtue, Grace, and the Moral Life15m
- Notebook Wrap5m
- Responsibility: The Soul of Ordered Liberty10m
- The Frontier Closes: Rails, Cattle, and the Plains Indian Wars20m
- Neoclassicism in Full: David and Jefferson's Architecture25m
- Notebook Wrap5m
- Prayer Review: Freedom and the Good5m
- Misplaced and Dangling Modifiers20m
- The New United States and Revolutionary France30m
- Notebook Wrap5m
- James Madison: Father of the Constitution15m
- Beethoven and the 'Eroica': Music Meets Revolution20m
- Writing Workshop: Comparing Two Revolutions20m
- St. Elizabeth Ann Seton & Week Synthesis5m