This is a journal entry of a peasant who survived the french revolution.

1. French Revolution: 1789- 1802
Andre Celeste Augustin’s Journal :
Ancient Grudge Breaks to New Mutiny

2. June 20th, 1789

3. June 20th, 1789
Liberté,
Égalité,
Fraternité
Dieu
Merci!
After
these
dark
days
under
King
Louis
XVI;
lastly,
a
constitution
is
going
to
be
laid.
We,
people
of
the
third
estate,
have
taken
an
oath
of
not
separating
until
a
constitution
is
laid
in
France.
After
so
many
years
of
poverty
and
living
in
such
a
destitute
condition
we
are
approaching
our
dancing
days.
King
Louis
XVI,
that
ruthless
man,
divided
us
into
three
different
estates,
the
,irst
estate
being
the
clergy.
The
second
Estate
was
the
nobility,
comprising
of
the
landowners,
they
kept
the
record
of
our
land.
We
were
the
third
estate,
poor
and
unprivileged
peasants
and
the
bourgeoisies.
On
one
side
was
the
afJluent
and
wealthy
King
with
his
wife,
Queen
Mary
Antoinette,
and
on
the
other
side
were
us,
living
under
a
impoverish
society
with
very
little
rights
and
almost
nothing
to
eat.
It
is
unbearable
to
see
my
friends
dying
because
of
food.
My
family
was
almost
at
stage
of
giving
up
our
house
and
land.
We
had
nothing
to
eat.
The
bread
was
sold
at
very
high
prices.
Even
the
weather
wasn’t
in
our
favor.
I
remember,
back
before,
the
only
man
who
seemed
to
be
supporting
us
in
such
a
devastating
era
was
John
Locke
who
thought
men
had
their
own
natural
rights.
He
even
said
that
every
men
and
women
are
born
free
and
equal.
Another
person
named
Montesquieu
proposed
the
idea
of
check
(cheque),
which
once
stopped
the
monarch
from
useless
spending.
He
thought
no
government
should
have
free
right
to
spend
all
the
money.
Even
the
invention
of
the
printing
press
kept
us
aware
of
the
things
happening
around
the
world.
This
made
us
aware
of
the
idea
of
limited
monarchy.
My
thought
was
inJluenced
by
these
words
and
a
sudden
idea
of
constitutional
monarchy
popped
up
in
my
mind.
We
knew
it
very
well
that
the
king
will
never
agree
even
to
the
idea
of
constitutional
monarchy.
King
Louis
the
XVI
and
Mary
Antoinette,
the
huge
spender,
threw
luxurious
parties
and
led
a
life
of
pomp
and
show.
His
splendor
way
of
living
led
to
a
huge
debt
on
France.
The
King
was
going
broke.
Just
then
when
that
merciless
king
thought
of
increasing
the
tax
on
us,
poor
peasants.
King
Louis
was
aware
of
the
situation
that
we
were
going
through,
food
shortage
and
almost
no
money;
still
he
increased
the
taxes
on
the
Third
estate.
My
family
was
homeless;
we
had
nothing
to
give
as
tax
and
no
money
to
buy
food
and
almost
nothing
to
wear
except
a
pair
of
clothes
that
was
worn
out.
Malnutrition
was
everywhere.
I
couldn’t
bear
to
se
my
children
dying
for
food
in
every
second
of
their
life.
My
wife
crying
for
a
dress
to
wear
and
me,
I
was
alive
outside
but
praying
to
die
from
inside.
These
worsening
conditions
needed
reforms.
These
reforms
called
for
the
meeting
of
all
the
Estates
together
and
to
have
vote
by
head
instead
of
by
estate.
But
the
King
was
well
aware
that
if
the
vote
would
be
by
head,
we
would
be
the
strongest
in
the
Estates
General,
whereas,
we
were
anxious
to
discuss
the
measures
that
should
be
taken
to
improve
the
present
conditions.
On
June
20,
1789,
when
we
arrived
at
the
assigned
meeting
hall,
Menus
Plaisirs,
we
found
it
locked
against
us.
We
were
sure
this
was
a
blatant
attempt
by
Louis
XVI
to
end
our
demands
for
reform.
Refusing
to
be
held
down
by
our
King
any
longer,
we
did
not
break
up.
Instead
we
moved
our
meeting
to
a
nearby
indoor
tennis
court.
There
we
were
proposed
the
idea
of
adopting
an
oath
of
allegiance.
The
oath
proposed
that
we
would
remain
assembled
until
a
constitution
was
written.

4. October 5th 1789

5. October 5th 1789
Bread!
Bread!
Chanting
through
the
streets
from
Paris
to
Versailles,
the
women
of
France
have
made
it.
The
king
Jinally
agreed
to
give
us
BREAD.
The
date
of
our
Jirst
wins
again
that
treacherous
King,
July
14th
1789.
The
fort
of
bastille,
originally
built
to
protect
Paris
from
attack
instead
used
as
a
political
prison.
For
us
it
was
a
symbol
of
royal
tyranny.
However,
bastille
was
being
used
as
an
armory.
The
word
armory
changed
and
our
mind.
We
needed
reforms,
reforms
needed
attacks
and
attacks
needed
weapons.
The
only
place
we
could
get
the
munitions
from,
was
bastille.
So,
we
the
member
of
the
national
assembly,
stormed
the
Bastille.
We
Jirst
asked
the
governor
to
give
up
the
armory
but
he
refused
and
so
we
began
to
control
over
the
Bastille.
The
only
thing
that
I
was
going
through
in
my
mind
was
getting
that
King
and
his
rule
out
of
France.
Eventually,
we
stormed
the
Bastille.
The French army that advanced upon the Bastille was subjected to cannon and artillery fire, which caused panic and chaos
amongst us. After several hours of fighting, however, we organized and overthrew the Bastille's defenses, beheading the commander.
At last we ended, gaining power on Bastille.
This was not it. We needed equal rights!!! Why shouldn’t we be treated equally as the nobles and the clergy? Why should we be
giving more tax than other social classes? Isn’t that unfair. We thought ignorance, forgetfulness or contempt of the rights of man is
the sole causes of our miseries and the corruption of government. So by the mid summers we, the members of the national assembly,
started drafting the declaration of rights. But it was daunting task to create rights that majority of men could accept. There were
debates and question that rose during the curse of making these rights. After several days of debate and voting, at last, we agreed on
our seventeen articles. These rights declared that all men are born free and remain free and equal in rights. These rights were mainly
based on liberty, property, security and resistance to oppression. By the mid summer we were ready. On August 26 1789, we
declared the rights of man. This made the king worry. After all how could he let his people out of his absolute monarchy!
Even after these historical win against the kings, the food was quite scarce and there was nothing to eat. Bread was an important part
of a man’s diet. It was all because of economic crisis in France, and we were having a hard time buying the bread for our family. It
was intolerable to watch my family dying because of scarcity of food. This had a huge impact on every woman in Paris. My wife
couldn’t see our children dying because of hunger. She couldn’t tolerate the pain of our children anymore. Without food France
became a country with one-foot on the grave and the other foot touching the life. It was extremely painful for these women to see
their family starve to death. Eventually, they went rioting armed with pitchforks, pikes and muskets, marched in the rain from Paris to
Versailles. I joined my wife in the march. We marched barefoot from Paris to Versailles in worn out clothes. We were joined by
thousands of other people who were also desperate to eat. In Paris, after hours of rioting, at last king agreed to provide us with bread.
But that wasn’t enough. We wanted something else. We demanded the King and the Queen to stay with us and look at the condition
of the city of Paris. The King was left with no choice. They came to Paris with us and agreed to stay in Paris.

6. July 28th 1794

7. Whoosh!
The
blade
of
the
guillotine,
whack!
Thud
of
the
chopped
head
leaving
the
trail
of
blood
on
the
ground,
after
taking
the
lives
of
thousands
of
innocent
people
at
last,
he
died.
The
starter
of
reign
of
terror
is
Jinally
dead.
Cheers
among
the
citizens
of
France.
The
long-­‐lived
revolution,
we
hope,
will
Jinally
go
by
the
death
of
Robespierre.
After
a
long
struggle,
I
think
it’s
the
time
when
we
peasants
get
the
bed
of
roses.
Most
awaited
day
of
France
had
come.
On
Sep
3rd
1791,
the
Jirst
constitution
of
France
was
written.
In
the
mid
summers
we
began
drafting
a
constitution,
which
came
out
as
the
declaration
of
rights
of
man
and
citizen.
We
then
eventually
decided
to
make
it
the
preamble of the constitution adopted in September 3, 1791. But we no more wanted to be guided under the King’s rule. But, once Maman regarded
the King as the messenger of the God, and told never to go against the king. Keeping in, the thoughts of other people, we decided to create the French constitutional
monarchy. No more absolute monarchy. But the main controversy that occurred was the level power granted to the king. So, our comrade, Gilbert Du Motier proposed the
idea of the bicameral parliament as in the American and the British system with that tumultuous King having the suspensive veto power in the legislature.
The King soon started to lose his power and he was no more allowed to take decisions in the Legislative assembly. He had no control on the army or any authority in the
local government. The faint-hearted king couldn’t take this anymore. He couldn’t bear to stay in that dirty palace anymore. Well now he would understand what
conditions we were living in! We didn’t even get a palace to stay. At night we slept on the streets of Paris, shivering in the cold. But we never tried to escape. We faced the
conditions. But the coward King with his family tried to escape from Paris in the middle of the night when all of us were asleep dreaming about free France. But they were
caught at Varennes. The King was arrested and was escorted back to Paris. On 26th December 1792, the trail of the King soon followed the footsteps of the king. We
didn’t want the King anymore. We pressured the government for the removal of the King. We even heard that he was communicating with other English armies to launch
attack. He was declared guilty and thus was executed on January 21st 1793.
Jean
Paul
Marat,
what
can
I
possibly
say
about
that
man,
tyrant,
autocrat,
dictator
and
the
starter
of
the
deaths.
In
1789
Marat
began
publishing
paper.
In
1790
he
proposed
the
idea
that
mass
executions
of
the
revolution’s
enemies
may
be
necessary
for
success.
From
the
start
I
never
liked
this
man.
He
was
greedy,
greedy
for
power.
On
June
20,
1791,
when
Louis
XVI
attempted
to
Jlee,
Marat
was
eager
for
king’s
Execution,
and
soon
enough
he
gained
the
power
over
France.
In
1793,
Marat
became
the
leader
of
the
Montagnards,
the
most
radical
group
in
the
national
convention.
He
Executed
100,000
people
and
didn’t
even
think
twice.
Was
he
doing
the
right
thing?
Was
sending
everyone
to
the
guillotine
fair?
Should
I
support
him?
But
I
feared,
if
I
don’t
support
him
I
will
be
beheaded
and
then
there
will
be
no
one
to
take
care
of
my
family.
I
feared
if
I
am
gone
my
family
would
eventually
have
to
go
to
the
guillotine.
I
never
raised
my
voice
against
Marat
and
neither
did
anyone,
but
a
brave
lady
named,
Charlotte
Corday assassinated the Jacobin leader, Marat. All she wanted was peace in France. But she didn’t know about
the danger that lied ahead.
But roses even have thorns. Robespierre, also known as the father of reign of terror later followed steps taken by Marat, by keeping the tradition of execution by the
guillotine. I was petrified. I had nowhere to go. I didn’t know what to do. I was scared. More than me, my family was scared. It was a reign of deaths. The women were
forced to wear Republic's tri-colored ribbon insignia and to knit. On October 16, the ex queen, Marie Antoinette, was put on the guillotine. Even though he abolished
slavery, he was a Tyrant; he was a person who killed someone who didn’t smile while a person was sent to the guillotine was beheaded. Did we do the right thing by
sending the king to the guillotine? King never executed us. He never tried to harm us. Even though he raised the taxes he even agreed to give us bread! Everyday at least 5
person died from the guillotine. Approximately18,500-40,000 lives were taken. Deaths after deaths, but at last it all ended. Almost
We couldn’t bear to see our friends dying without any reason. We protested until the government listened to the voice of the common people. We blamed Robespierre for
taking the live of our beloved friends. We blamed him for the reign of terror. At last, on July 27th 1794, the national convention arrested Robespierre. On July 28th 1794, his
strongest weapon, the guillotine, beheaded Robespierre.
July 28th 1794

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