Mallory+Sammons+SP

The French Revolution
The French Revolution was an overthrowing of the French government in 1789. The main issue of this occurrence was the unequal treatment of the French people. Nobles and the clergy were exempt from extreme taxes, whereas the peasants were forced to pay them, despite the fact that they were mostly poor. The peasants could not press charges against people and could not kill animals that destroyed their land. Eventually, the peasants rebelled, sending France into a war. [|history-world.org/french_revolution.htm]

Geography in France
The geography of France consists of mostly flat plains or gently rolling hills in north and west; the remainder is mountainous, especially the Pyrenees in the south. The climate conists of generally mild winters and hot summers with the occasional strong, cold, northwesterly wind known as the mistral. The area, on the whole, is about 643, 801 square kilometers. [|http://www.indexmundi.com/france/#Geography] =**The Guillotine**= The guillotine was used during the French Revolution as a way of performing mass executions. It is thought to be created by Dr. Joseph Guillotin, however, this is not true. It was made an easier and faster method to behead those who were to be killed. His name was placed on the guillotine; as a result, Dr. Guillotine is often perceived to be an evil man who designed the machine with intentions of genocide. The guillotine claimed its most famous victim, Louis XVI on January 21, 1793. []

Louis XVI
Louis the XVI was born in 1754. His father died of tuberculosis at 36 before he had the chance to become king and his mother shortly after of the same disease, leaving him and his 7 siblings orphaned. He was not prepared to become king. He was shy and irresponsible. at age fifteen, he married [|Marie Antoinette]. As king, he attempted to diminish the rights of the French bourgeoisie. He set taxes at such a rate at which the nobles and clergy where exempt, but the common people were heavily charged. The king was soon perceived to be a foolish, unwise man with no common sense. This resulted in the peasant revolt, and, ultimately, the French Revolution. He was executed in front of his people in January of 1723. []


 * How does all this relate to __The Scarlet Pimpernel__?**

__The Scarlet Pimpernel__ was based in the time period of The French Revolution. Its author, Baroness Orczy, wrote it with her husband to try and support his low incomes. The book was rejected many times before it was finally accepted in play form. The play started slowly but eventually drew large audiences. It is often thought that Marguerite Blakeney, the central character of __The Scarlet Pimpernel__, is in fact a fictional character of the author herself.

The Author
Baroness Emmuska Orczy was born in Hungary in 1865. She learned english at fifteen and attended convent schools as far as Belgium and France. She studied at art school, but her art was never successful, and she married another art student, Montago Barstow. She and her husband wrote The __Scarlet Pimpernel__ together. It was rejected by a dozen publishers before it was finally accepted. Emmuska wrote several other works of fiction as sequels to __The Scarlet Pimpernel__, but none of them matched its success. []

=**The Characters**= __The Scarlet Pimpernel__ is a book of adventure and love. The two main characters, Sir Percy Blakeney, who is also the Scarlet Pimpernel, and his wife, Marguerite Blakeney, express both of these things.

Marguerite Blakeney is Baroness Orczy's perception of the ideal woman. Graceful, elegant, with pale skin, auburn hair, and beautiful, youthful blue eyes, she is portrayed as the most fashionable, desired woman in Fran. She is also very clever and desires love.

Percy Blakeney is at first shown as the dull, inane husband of Marguerite. His handsome being is blemished only by his lazy blue eyes and dull laugh. However, his adventurous spirit is revealed throughout the novel as his true identity is discovered as the clever mastermind behind the escape of many French aristocrats.

**Fashion in France**
Because Lady Blakeney is shown as the most fashionable woman in France,one can infer that fashion in France was very distinguished and sophisticated. However, France imitated many English fashions, and much of the time, sophisticated clothing was not worn during this era. Because the war was raging, people did not have time to be consumed with fashion. Instead, fashion collapsed from padded and puffed dresses into thin, almost translucent sillhouettes. Plain dresses with dark colors became popular. Men's costume also became thinner in line; it lost bright color and any adornments and became plain and dark. The powdered hair that was common for both genders was lost altogether, as was the trend of corsets for women.

**Fashion in England**
__The Scarlet Pimpernel__ is also set in England, where fashion did not change so much. Extravagance was admired, and materials such as silk, lace, velvet, and ribbons were often used. The pointed waist remained intact, along with hair piled on top of the head and powdered white. Huge hats were worn with hoop skirts and ruffles. For men, ruffles and laces were still used, while in France, they were dropped for being "aristocratic". Wigs were common, especially powdered ones.

Liberty, Equality, Fraternity
The motto of the French, Liberté, Equalité, Fraternité (Liberty, Equality, Fraternity) came to exist during the time period of the French Revolution, but was not the only motto used. It was proposed that the words be written on the French flag, but the proposal was rejected. FromIt was written into the 1942 and1958 constitutions, and can be found on many items, including postage stamps and coins. It is the motto of France today.

=﻿The Declaration of Rights of Man and Citizen= The representtives of the French people believe that neglect of the rights of man is the sole purpose of government corruption. The National Assembly formed is declaration in order to uphold the values of the French people. 1. "Men are born and remain free and equal in rights. Social distinctions may be founded only upon the general good. 2. The aim of all political association is the preservation of the natural and imprescriptible rights of man. These rights are liberty, property, security, and resistance to oppression. 3. The principle of all sovereignty resides essentially in the nation. No body nor individual may exercise any authority which does not proceed directly from the nation. 4. Liberty consists in the freedom to do everything which injures no one else; hence the exercise of the natural rights of each man has no limits except those which assure to the other members of the society the enjoyment of the same rights. These limits can only be determined by law. 5. Law can only prohibit such actions as are hurtful to society. Nothing may be prevented which is not forbidden by law, and no one may be forced to do anything not provided for by law. 6. Law is the expression of the general will. Every citizen has a right to participate personally, or through his representative, in its foundation. It must be the same for all, whether it protects or punishes. All citizens, being equal in the eyes of the law, are equally eligible to all dignities and to all public positions and occupations, according to their abilities, and without distinction except that of their virtues and talents. 7. No person shall be accused, arrested, or imprisoned except in the cases and according to the forms prescribed by law. Any one soliciting, transmitting, executing, or causing to be executed, any arbitrary order, shall be punished. But any citizen summoned or arrested in virtue of the law shall submit without delay, as resistance constitutes an offense. 8. The law shall provide for such punishments only as are strictly and obviously necessary, and no one shall suffer punishment except it be legally inflicted in virtue of a law passed and promulgated before the commission of the offense. 9. As all persons are held innocent until they shall have been declared guilty, if arrest shall be deemed indispensable, all harshness not essential to the securing of the prisoner's person shall be severely repressed by law. 10. No one shall be disquieted on account of his opinions, including his religious views, provided their manifestation does not disturb the public order established by law. 11. The free communication of ideas and opinions is one of the most precious of the rights of man. Every citizen may, accordingly, speak, write, and print with freedom, but shall be responsible for such abuses of this freedom as shall be defined by law. 12. The security of the rights of man and of the citizen requires public military forces. These forces are, therefore, established for the good of all and not for the personal advantage of those to whom they shall be intrusted. 13. A common contribution is essential for the maintenance of the public forces and for the cost of administration. This should be equitably distributed among all the citizens in proportion to their means. 14. All the citizens have a right to decide, either personally or by their representatives, as to the necessity of the public contribution; to grant this freely; to know to what uses it is put; and to fix the proportion, the mode of assessment and of collection and the duration of the taxes. 15. Society has the right to require of every public agent an account of his administration. 16. A society in which the observance of the law is not assured, nor the separation of powers defined, has no constitution at all. 17. Since property is an inviolable and sacred right, no one shall be deprived thereof except where public necessity, legally determined, shall clearly demand it, and then only on condition that the owner shall have been previously and equitably indemnified." 1. Men are born and remain free and equal in rights. Social distinctions may be founded only upon the general good. 2. The aim of all political association is the preservation of the natural and imprescriptible rights of man. These rights are liberty, property, security, and resistance to oppression. 3. The principle of all sovereignty resides essentially in the nation. No body nor individual may exercise any authority which does not proceed directly from the nation. 4. Liberty consists in the freedom to do everything which injures no one else; hence the exercise of the natural rights of each man has no limits except those which assure to the other members of the society the enjoyment of the same rights. These limits can only be determined by law. 5. Law can only prohibit such actions as are hurtful to society. Nothing may be prevented which is not forbidden by law, and no one may be forced to do anything not provided for by law. 6. Law is the expression of the general will. Every citizen has a right to participate personally, or through his representative, in its foundation. It must be the same for all, whether it protects or punishes. All citizens, being equal in the eyes of the law, are equally eligible to all dignities and to all public positions and occupations, according to their abilities, and without distinction except that of their virtues and talents. 7. No person shall be accused, arrested, or imprisoned except in the cases and according to the forms prescribed by law. Any one soliciting, transmitting, executing, or causing to be executed, any arbitrary order, shall be punished. But any citizen summoned or arrested in virtue of the law shall submit without delay, as resistance constitutes an offense. 8. The law shall provide for such punishments only as are strictly and obviously necessary, and no one shall suffer punishment except it be legally inflicted in virtue of a law passed and promulgated before the commission of the offense. 9. As all persons are held innocent until they shall have been declared guilty, if arrest shall be deemed indispensable, all harshness not essential to the securing of the prisoner's person shall be severely repressed by law. 10. No one shall be disquieted on account of his opinions, including his religious views, provided their manifestation does not disturb the public order established by law. 11. The free communication of ideas and opinions is one of the most precious of the rights of man. Every citizen may, accordingly, speak, write, and print with freedom, but shall be responsible for such abuses of this freedom as shall be defined by law. 12. The security of the rights of man and of the citizen requires public military forces. These forces are, therefore, established for the good of all and not for the personal advantage of those to whom they shall be intrusted. 13. A common contribution is essential for the maintenance of the public forces and for the cost of administration. This should be equitably distributed among all the citizens in proportion to their means. 14. All the citizens have a right to decide, either personally or by their representatives, as to the necessity of the public contribution; to grant this freely; to know to what uses it is put; and to fix the proportion, the mode of assessment and of collection and the duration of the taxes. 15. Society has the right to require of every public agent an account of his administration. 16. A society in which the observance of the law is not assured, nor the separation of powers defined, has no constitution at all. 17. Since property is an inviolable and sacred right, no one shall be deprived thereof except where public necessity, legally determined, shall clearly demand it, and then only on condition that the owner shall have been previously and equitably indemnified. []