Surfing the Net with Kids

Surfing the Net with Kids

Surfnetkids » Resources » History, Holidays » Holidays » Bastille Day


    • Bastille Day

    Bastille Day

    by

    Share
    Tweet
    Pin
    0 Shares

    Celebrated as a national French holiday, Bastille Day commemorates the storming of the Bastille fortress-prison on July 14, 1789 by an angry Parisian mob. It is frequently considered the start of the French Revolution, which eventually saw the overthrow of the monarchy, and the establishment of the French Republic.

    		Bastille Day Resource Handout for Classroom or Homeschool: Just $2.00

    Bastille Day5 stars

    Dedicated entirely to explaining Bastille Day and the French Revolution, this site is divided into four sections: History, Biographies, Symbols, and Quizzes. History starts with the political and economic reasons for the Revolution, and continues through The Reign of Terror that occurred at the end of the Revolution. Of course, it includes the story of the Storming of Bastille on July 14, 1789. Biographies covers ten personalities whose lives are intertwined with the Revolution, including Louis XVI, Marie Antoinette and Maximilian de Robespiere.



    Discover France: Place de la Bastille5 stars

    "The French national holiday, celebrated annually on July 14, is officially called the Fête Nationale, and commemorates the Fête de la Fédération - but it is commonly known in English as Bastille Day." Although primarily a travel site, Discover France also covers culture, history and language. The seven-page section about the Bastille includes its early history as a fortress during the Hundred Years' War (it was built between 1370 and 1383) and the story of one famous but anonymous prisoner known as The Man in the Iron Mask. The Storming of the Bastille is covered in Parts 3 and 4.

    Exploring the French Revolution: Paris and the Politics of Rebellion5 stars

    Created in collaboration with George Mason University, City University of New York and the National Endowment for the Humanities, this site for high school and college students, archives more than 600 primary documents, and unites them with a timeline, a glossary and maps. Here the storming of the Bastille is analyzed more deeply than at other sites. For example, it asks the question "[G]iven the sharply rising bread prices in Paris at the time, were the crowds that gathered on the 14th engaging in a more traditional form of protest, a large-scale 'bread riot,' that took on political significance only as events unfolded?"

    History Wiz: The Storming of the Bastille3 stars

    "Taken from the French word 'bastide', meaning fortress, the Bastille was constructed to defend the eastern wall of Paris in 1382. But because it had previously been used to house political prisoners, it had long been a symbol of royal tyranny." This illustrated history lesson briefly introduces the history of the Bastille, and describes the angry Paris mob that stormed the walls on July 14, 1789.

    How Stuff Works Videos: The French Revolution: The Storming of the Bastille4 stars

    With video clips of modern-day Place de Bastille, where the Bastille fortress once stood, this two-minute movie briefly tells the story of the storming of the Bastille that "marked the beginning of the bloody phase of the Revolution." Additional French Revolution videos can be in the "History: Europe: Battles & Revolution" section, or by using the search function near the top of the page.

    		Bastille Day Resource Handout for Classroom or Homeschool: Just $2.00



    Honorable Mentions

    The following links are either new discoveries or sites that didn't make it into my newspaper column because of space constraints. Enjoy!

    Bastille Day Map

    Eighteenth-Century Life: The Storming of the Bastille

    Footnote.com: Thomas Jefferson's Account of the Storming of the Bastille

    PBS: Politics in Napoleon's Time


    Cite This Page

    Feldman, Barbara. "Bastille Day." Surfnetkids. Feldman Publishing. 13 Jul. 2010. Web. 23 Nov. 2024. <https://www.surfnetkids.com/resources/bastille-day/ >.


    About This Page

    By . Originally published July 13, 2010. Last modified July 13, 2010.

    Filed Under: History, Holidays, Holidays

    0 Shares
    Share
    Tweet
    Pin
    MENU