While the French Revolution was a great thing that eventually led to democracy in France, it wasn't all jolly and happy once it ended. The French Revolution faded into the Reign of Terror, one of the scariest moments in history. The Reign of Terror lasted many years. After the French Revolution ended, Louis XVI was a limited monarch. He was a ruler with limited powers. This kind of nation is called a limited monarchy.
Because Louis XVI hated his loss of power and the government, he tried to flee the country. He was unsuccessful and was brought back to France. When he returned, there was a power struggle in France. People panicked and wondered who would be the next leader. Street gangs took control and sometimes even had more power than the government. One street gang, Jacobins, even took Louis XVI and killed him in the guillotine.
France soon grew desperate and it turned into mayhem. Many groups tried to fight and take power. However, one individual, Maximillien Robespierre, rose up. He took control and killed anyone who went against him. He did this in order to wipe out any evidence of the old way, or the old monarchy. Robespierre almost had absolute power. Many people had their heads cut off by the government. Eventually, citizens got so aggrivated that they had Robespierre arrested. Soon, his head head was cut off. Napolean rose up and became the next leader. He was a very successful person.
Friday, September 28, 2007
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Copernicus and the trial of Galileo
In the 1500's, there were two main theories of the solar system. Heliocentrism, and geocentrism were the two main theories of the solar system. Geocentrism is the belief that the Earth was the center of the universe. Geocentrism goes way back until Ancient Greece around 500-400 BC. Heliocentrism is the belief that the sun is the center of the universe. Heliocentrism began in the late 1500 to 1600's AD. Heliocentrism has been proven by many scientists today. Unfortunately, in the 1600's, Heliocentrism was not very accepted because the Catholic Church taught Geocentrism to its followers.
On 1632, Galileo Galilei was summoned to Rome for a trial because he went against the Catholic Church. In the 17th Century, the Catholic Church was extremely powerful; almost to the point that it ruled people's lives (absolutism). Because Galileo spread his ideas and tried to raise awareness to people, the Church was aggrivated. After many, many long weeks, Galileo was released where he was allowed to stay in his small farmhouse in Arcetri, and in 1641, he died.
On 1632, Galileo Galilei was summoned to Rome for a trial because he went against the Catholic Church. In the 17th Century, the Catholic Church was extremely powerful; almost to the point that it ruled people's lives (absolutism). Because Galileo spread his ideas and tried to raise awareness to people, the Church was aggrivated. After many, many long weeks, Galileo was released where he was allowed to stay in his small farmhouse in Arcetri, and in 1641, he died.
Thursday, September 6, 2007
Evolution vs Creation
Around 1830, Charles Darwin, an English naturalist, composed the Theory of Evolution. Darwin's Theory of Evolution stated that all of life (the natural Earth we see today) was evolved from a single organism. If monkies evolved from chimpanzees, and chimpanzees evolved from bears, this fact would help prove Darwin's Theory of Evolution.
Darwin's Theory of Evolution revolved around one important term that we know today: natural selection. Natural selection is when the weak ones die and the strong ones live. The strong ones will then pass on its traits to the offspring, producing offspring that are better adapted to their environment.
As an example, let us take the woodpecker. The woodpecker drills holes in trees in order to eat insects. In the woods, there are three types of birds, Bird A, Bird B, and Bird C. Bird A has a long beak and can drill through trees, much like a woodpecker. He has short wings however, and is not able to fly well. Bird A will drill holes near the base of trees to eat insects. Bird B has webbed feet and is designed to eat fish in the water. Bird C has long wings and can fly well. Bird C is able to eat high in the trees. Because Bird B is not used to the environment, he dies. Birds A and C therefore mate and gain different qualities to make Bird D. Bird D has a long beak and long wings, allowing it to eat insects high in the trees and near the base as well.
Darwin's Theory of Evolution revolved around natural selection. Like described in the previous paragraph, this process would take many, many years to make what we have today. Constant mating and survival of the fittest allowed mutations and the ability to adapt to different environments. Darwin's Theory of Evolution is being proven more and more as we progress into the future. Molecular biologists even believe that life may have started from a single cell. The cell would duplicate at an exponential rate, and throughout millions of years, we have life today.
Creationism
Put simply, Creationism is the idea that all life was created by a single higher power/deity, such as Islam's Allah or Christianity's God. Creation is commonly debated and criticized. Because it revolves around religion, it is unable to be taught in science classes in public schools. There are many Creationists in the world
Darwin's Theory of Evolution revolved around one important term that we know today: natural selection. Natural selection is when the weak ones die and the strong ones live. The strong ones will then pass on its traits to the offspring, producing offspring that are better adapted to their environment.
As an example, let us take the woodpecker. The woodpecker drills holes in trees in order to eat insects. In the woods, there are three types of birds, Bird A, Bird B, and Bird C. Bird A has a long beak and can drill through trees, much like a woodpecker. He has short wings however, and is not able to fly well. Bird A will drill holes near the base of trees to eat insects. Bird B has webbed feet and is designed to eat fish in the water. Bird C has long wings and can fly well. Bird C is able to eat high in the trees. Because Bird B is not used to the environment, he dies. Birds A and C therefore mate and gain different qualities to make Bird D. Bird D has a long beak and long wings, allowing it to eat insects high in the trees and near the base as well.
Darwin's Theory of Evolution revolved around natural selection. Like described in the previous paragraph, this process would take many, many years to make what we have today. Constant mating and survival of the fittest allowed mutations and the ability to adapt to different environments. Darwin's Theory of Evolution is being proven more and more as we progress into the future. Molecular biologists even believe that life may have started from a single cell. The cell would duplicate at an exponential rate, and throughout millions of years, we have life today.
Creationism
Put simply, Creationism is the idea that all life was created by a single higher power/deity, such as Islam's Allah or Christianity's God. Creation is commonly debated and criticized. Because it revolves around religion, it is unable to be taught in science classes in public schools. There are many Creationists in the world
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