Written Source Analysis

Song of the French Revolution

The Sons of Freedom are the people who revolted against the monarchy.
The children, wives and grandsires are crying because of the injustice of the monarchy.
France is the desolate land, desolate because the nobility and clergy were bleeding the money of the people.
'To arms' inspires the audience (the French People) to attack the nobility.
By starving the people, a 'storm' was brewing.
The nobles and clergy were thirsty for power and rich with gold
The upper classes were the 'beasts of burden', 'loading' the lower class with taxes and work.
'But man is man, and who is more' means that all men are equal, even though the upper classes may seem to be like gods, they are not more than simple men.
The world has wept, according to the poem, due to the injustice of the French people. The 'tyrants' wield power, represented as a dagger. However, the dagger is named 'falsehood's dagger', suggesting that the power the upper classes held was false.

Article Groups

Freedom and Equality

Article 1: "Men are born and remain free and equal in rights. Social distinctions may be founded only upon the general good."

Reasoning: The article directly mentions the importance of equality.

Article 4: "Men are born and remain free and equal in rights. Social distinctions may be founded only upon the general good."

Reasoning: Freedom and equality are directly mentioned.

Article 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."

Reasoning: The article says that men are free to their opinion.

Article 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."

Reasoning: According to the article, all men have the freedom of speech. Freedom, associated with the group name.

Article 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."

Reasoning: The article states that all citizens must equally contribute.

Security

Article 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."

Reasoning: The article clearly states the group name, and it is the purpose of the article.

Article 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."

Reasoning: The article is telling the citizens thatt they can have lawful security over their property.

Government

Article 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."

Reasoning: The article states the government's intentions.

Article 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."

Reasoning: All governing bodies have to use their power for good, placing the article under the 'Government' header.

Article 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."

Law

Article 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."

Reasoning: The article directly refers to law.

Article 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."

Reasoning: The article directly refers to law

Article 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."

Reasoning: The law is directly referenced

Article 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."

Reasoning: The article directly refers to law

Article 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."

Reasoning: The article directly refers to law.

Article 15: "Society has the right to require of every public agent an account of his administration."

Reasoning: The article refers to the power the law holds

Article 16: "A society in which the observance of the law is not assured, nor the separation of powers defined, has no constitution at all."

Reasoning: The article directly refers to law