French Constitution of 1791

High school (ages 12+)
People & Society

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/french-constitution-of-1791

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the document type?First written constitution of France
2. What is the date of promulgation?September 3, 1791
3. Why did France make a new constitution in 1791?The people wanted to stop the king from ruling alone and to show that the government should come from the people’s will, not from a divine right.
4. How did the Constitution split power between the king and the Assembly?The king kept the army and could pick ministers, but the Assembly made the laws and set the budget. The king could not make laws or raise taxes by himself.

Ancien Régime: The pre-revolutionary political and social system in France characterized by absolute monarchy and feudal privileges.
Popular Sovereignty: The doctrine that the legitimacy of a government is created by the will of its people.
Constitutional Monarchy: A form of monarchy in which the monarch exercises authority in accordance with a constitution.
Legislative Assembly: The national legislative body established by the Constitution of 1791, responsible for law-making.