- What do documents 29A and 29B ("The Continuing Contest over Seigneurial Rights") tell us about the concerns of rural inhabitants in 1789? What did they hope the National Assembly could provide them?
- According to document 30, what were the problems with the grain trade in late 1789/early 1790?
- In document 31, cite examples illustrating that the questionnaire's respondents were learned men and not your average peasant.
- Continuing with document 31, what do the respondent's answers tell you about the reception of the Revolution in the countryside?
Monday, February 23, 2009
Reading questions for 2/25
The following questions refer to the documents in chapter 5 of the Mason & Rizzo reader.
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1. What do documents 29A and 29B ("The Continuing Contest over Seigneurial Rights") tell us about the concerns of rural inhabitants in 1789? What did they hope the National Assembly could provide them?
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the documents it seems clear that the biggest concern that rural inhabitants still had late 1789 was the fact that despite attempts by the National Assembly to weaken feudal powers there were still certain lords such as the Duke of Mailly who: "...enjoys the the usurpation of more then twenty arpents [of land]." the people claimed that he owed "a sizable compensation because...he deprived his unhappy vassals of many harvests, of a value of...forty thousand livres." This is a good indication that event in 1789 there were still local nobles who continued to use the peasants land for their own pleasure at the expense of it being farmed. The fact that they also asked the Assembly for the permission to destroy the trees and shelters themselves if the lord did not do so only shows how angry the people were getting at this point in time. It also seems that while some complaints like this one were clear other concerns had more to do not so much with what the former lords were doing, but whether it was allowed as was the case with the decree saying no one could claim waterways as their own. The concern here seems to have been whether it also applied to fishing spots in smaller rivers.
-Jonathan Mcclintock
According to document 30, what were the problems with the grain trade in late 1789/early 1790?
ReplyDeleteThe problems with the grain trade in late 1789/early 1790 were primarily that it was just too expensive. The markets are poorly stocked with grain making it hard for people looking to buy some. When the people do find grain it is usually from a bakery who is selling it for some ridiculously high price. There is not enough grain in the market for the people to buy and use but plenty to out on ships for the soldiers. People in France during this time were extremely upset about this situation.
Rachel B.
What do documents 29A and 29B ("The Continuing Contest over Seigneurial Rights") tell us about the concerns of rural inhabitants in 1789? What did they hope the National Assembly could provide them?
ReplyDeleteThey documents tell us that the concerns of rural inhabitants tend to be similar to the issues before the revolution. Their is still "humiliations at the mercy" of dukes. Tax adjustments and decrees are painful and urgent requests. In document 29A M. Duke continues to be "deaf and insensitive to the sorrows of the common people." We see through this document that Feudalism is still present. Although it was abolished their are still men who do not resist submerging others at their mercy. Although the grain shortage is terrible the spending has not ended. In document 29B we see the example of feudalism presence "there are former seigneurs who accorded themselves exclusive rights to fishing which they want to enjoy today as they did in the past."
Rural inhabitants hoped the National Assembly could provide an explanatory decree on the matter of fishing rights to former seigneurs or the committee. It was more of a call for the reading of rights of the water way. The rural inhabitants wanted the right to belong to the people as the National Assembly had done by abolishing feudalism.
-Johanna Gotay
According to document 30, what were the problems with the grain trade in late 1789/early 1790?
ReplyDeleteThe problems with the grain trade in late 1789/early 1790 were that communities competed to acquire grain at a fair price. Likewise the market is poorly stocked, competition not having been established, and the common mans resources are not allowing him to reach the price fixed by the salesman along with the arbitrary tax of the baker. This is all due to the National Assembly’s decree on the free circulation of grain throughout France. The bakers are starving their citizens and selling from the comfort of their homes and not being reprimanded for it. The people call for the Assembly to “suspend the execution of the decree regarding the circulation of the grain.”
-Johanna Gotay
2. According to document 30, what were the problems with the grain trade in late 1789/early 1790?
ReplyDeleteThe Market is poorly stocked, it’s a monopoly so it’s a high fixed price, the law protects them. The price has risen from thirty-two livres to forty-five livres per three hundred thirty livre in just four months, which leads one to believe the price will keep rising. There was a law passed saying no grain was suppose to be taken within ten leagues of the city and it is taken any way and packed into ships heading for Bordeaux, which is a smaller city than Paris and doesn’t have as many people starving either.
Steph Talarek
2) Document 30 suggests that the problems with the grain trade in late 1789 through early 1790 resulted from perceived greed and also the desire for the cultivator to make a profit.
ReplyDeleteThe residents of Roscoff have two specific complaints concerning their fears over the price of and shortage of grain. The first complaint is that farmers who grow their own wheat do not share with their neighbors, they would rather make money off of it by selling it to "monopolists." The residents of Roscoff suggest that the cultivators sell the grain at a high price to the merchants, who in turn sell it to the people at an even higher price, but more often sell it to people of neighboring villages.
The second complaint that the residents of Roscoff have with the grain trade is that because they are a seaport, they are not agriculturalists and therefore they do not grow much grain. The grain that they do have is shipped to places like Bordeaux, leaving the residents with very little grain for themselves.
Mason and Rizzo comment on the fear that peasants harbored towards their neighbors: people would rather stockpile wheat than share it. Such fear, real or imagined, is reminiscent of the panic that existed before the fall of the Bastille, which resulted in so many riots across the countryside.
Angela Hamilton
According to document 30, what were the problems with the grain trade in late 1789/early 1790?
ReplyDeleteThe major point that the Petition is trying to make in document 30, is that the price of grain is just too expensive for them to afford. "The sudden rise of grain prices from thirty-two to forty-five livres per three hundred thirty livres is proof of what we have just asserted; such a high price scarcely four months into the year predicts the most alarming misery for all people" (131). Such a quick rise in price is alarming to the residents of Roscoff and they want the National Assembly to do something before their families suffer from starvation.
Travis Jeffries
The concern of document 29A was with game hiding in an overgrowth or excess of trees and the land owner not wanting to cut some of the trees down because their existence is harmful. Furthermore since the land owner didn’t cut the trees down more have grown on land that is not his but he cuts those trees down from the land that is not his to sell them and retain the profits. The second article is talking about the lack of specifics laws with regards to fishing rights. So essentially the two documents tell us the concerns of rural inhabitants are establishments of more specific and or differentiate laws for protect lands/waters or enforce the existing rules regarding the lands/waters. In the first case they want the Assembly to enforce the conditions that the land owner agreed too twenty years ago in the case of the overgrowth of trees. And in regards to the fishing rights they wanted the assembly to, “issue an explanatory decree on this matter, to make known whether fishing rights belong to former seigneurs or to communities.”
ReplyDeleteAccording to document 30, what were the problems with the grain trade in late 1789/early 1790? Roscoff is a city that is not very agricultural and doesn’t have enough necessities. The citizens then travel to the Market of Pol de Léon which is also poorly stocked. He/she then has to buy overpriced bread from the baker who sets an arbitrary tax. The workers of the market are not bringing any supplies to sell and they are just selling most form their houses. A law in the city of Brest is not requiring grain from the countryside to go to the large cities, making the price of grain very expensive in the cities. Also there is a larger amount of grain going to Bordeaux then can be consumed there. The citizens want the assembly to suspend the execution of its decree regarding the dysfunctional circulation of grain along the coasts neighboring Roscoff.
Jeff Smith
What do documents 29A and 29B ("The Continuing Contest over Seigneurial Rights") tell us about the concerns of rural inhabitants in 1789? What did they hope the National Assembly could provide them?
ReplyDeleteThe rural inhabitants were justly angry about the roads opened through privete property without regard to their rights, furthermore he was harvesting thier trees along the road and profiting from their lumber he harvested. Fishing was restricted, hunting was restricted. They had to pay a potrion of their harvest in kind, they could not hunt for food and they could not fish for food. They were starving and being pushed around so they sought out the National Assembly. They wanted their property respected by de Mailly and their due profit from the sale of their lumber. They wanted an end to feudalism.
According to document 30, what were the problems with the grain trade in late 1789/early 1790?
France was united in revolution but individual provinces were competing for grain, either to produce enough to sustain your own province or acquire more. This produced a sharp rise in grain prices. Some had no grain at all. The grain was on ships to Bordeaux to sell for greater profit in a smaller city. They wanted the grain to go to the masses in larger cities like paris. They believed they should be able to aquire grain on a regular basis at a fair price.
Continuing with document 31, what do the respondent's answers tell you about the reception of the Revolution in the countryside?
ReplyDeleteIn document 31 the respondent’s answers indicate that there has not been a great change in the daily lives of the country people in the area of spoken language. The respondent states that many peasants still speak their own dialect; in this particular region a river separates two dialects. The peasants do not use spoken French a great deal the respondent states, “Dialect is customarily spoken in all the villages and the countryside, and we can maintain without fear of being mistaken that French is only spoken in circles that pride themselves on being cultivated.” There has been a slight change in morals, however, the respondent claims that there have not surfaced any words contrary to modesty but that with the revolution commerce has come into their region and the corruption of the big cities is slowly infiltrating the provinces. This document indicates that the reception of the Revolution in the countryside was twofold, it brought great changes but unwelcome changes at the same time
What do documents 29A and 29B ("The Continuing Contest over Seigneurial Rights") tell us about the concerns of rural inhabitants in 1789? What did they hope the National Assembly could provide them?
ReplyDeleteDocument 29A is about concerns the rural villagers have over roads being opened through their properties and trees alongside those roads. They say that some trees extend into public parishes or over the roofs of peoples' houses and are causing damage. The community complained to M. Duke but he did not respond or listen to them. The land was also overcrowded with game that was put there by M. Duke.
They wanted the National Assembly to make sure M Duke followed through with his end of the bargain and to make sure he paid them for the damages caused to their land and enjoyment by the game and excess trees.
In 29B, the rural people wanted the National Assembly to decide whether fishing rights belonged to them or to former nobles.
Lindsay Berreth
The concern for the rural inhabitants in 1789 was that although the National Assembly had tried to weaken feudalism there were still issues between the lords and peasants. In 29A, M. the marechal de Mailly planted trees that were causing damage to farm lands and ruining harvest and property and Mailly didn’t resolve the situation even after he was ordered to remove some of the trees and pay for the damage. The rural inhabitants were concerned because if taxes were going to be adjusted to property, they didn’t want their property being damaged by Mailly and they wanted the National Assembly to put an end to this. In 29B, the rural inhabitants were concerned with waterways that “former seigneurs who accorded themselves exclusive rights to fishing which they want to enjoy today as they did in the past.” The rural inhabitants wanted to know if they could also use the water for fishing and wanted the legislation on waterways clarified by the National Assembly.
ReplyDeleteIn 1789, the concerns of rural inhabitants were that even though there were new rights opened up to them with the August decrees did not change much because there was no other legislation in place to enforce the new decrees. Their concerns were that they were not being treated as equals even though they were promised that they would be. In one of the letters there was a aristocratic man who planted trees all over a village without paying attention to the wants of the inhabitants, the trees were ruining their homes and soil, he was told to take down the trees but there was nothing enforcing the ruling on him. The other was about fishing rights in a river that was now opened to all to fish in, they wanted to know if anyone was eligible to partake in the enjoyments once kept out of their reach. The people wanted there ot be clarification of their rights and enforcement of the new decrees in the forms of laws to make sure that they were followed.
ReplyDeleteKate Sinrud
2.According to document 30, what were the problems with the grain trade in late 1789/early 1790?
ReplyDeleteThe problems that the French had with the grain trade in late 1789/ early 1790 were the high prices of grain and low availability. The high process of grain and the ability to get it in all areas of the country left many without the needed amount for sustenance. They want the National Assembly to get rid of the decrees about grain to make it so that it is an easier thing to get. There are many people who need more grains than they are able to purchase and they are calling on the National Assembly to help.
Kate Sinrud
3.
ReplyDeleteThe first example that the responses were written by learned people was the use of French and their view that the local language was simple and for stupid farmers. The language doesnt have words for emotions and it is morally pure. The responses say the people express themselves by their actions. It also says that the people need to be taught the most simple concepts by enlightenment teachers because the people were too stupid to understand anything beyond simple and basic concepts and they were not smart enough to speak French so they have their own local dialect that is plain and simple for them. In schools they are taught Latin to help in church but the respondents say that French is ignored and these people do things that do not understand. It finally says that the people practice magic and sorcery. They use prayers and magic to cure disease and to get a better harvest. In short, this article makes the people out to be uneducation, stupid hick farmers that used the new freedoms of the revolution for their own greed versus an enlightened patriotism.
Matthew Straub
#2 According to document 30, the problems with the grain trade in late 1789 and early 1790 were the rise in grain prices as well as a lack of supply to fill demand. More grain than could be spared was being exported. Large amounts of that grain was being sent to Bordeaux, more than they should need. The main problem was that grain was not being distributed in a fair and even way.
ReplyDelete#4 The respondent's answers tell us that the reception of the Revolution in the countryside was overall a lot calmer than in other places. Peasants accepted what served their best interest and what was held as the most popular opinion. They were "inspired by personal interest" rather than concerned with the going ons in a distant city with which they would likely have no direct contact of their own.
Continuing with document 31, what do the respondent's answers tell you about the reception of the Revolution in the countryside?
ReplyDeleteAs noted in the document itself, the Revolution had not yet had much impact on the people in the countryside. Very few, in fact, even spoke or understood French. Education was still predominately handled by the clergy. It appears that the main effect from the Revolution was the abolition of several feudal rights and the dime.
The problems with the grain trade were that there wasn't enough grain for towns and cities, but there was always enough to fill up large number of ships right away daily. The markets were poorly stocked with grain so one had to go to the bakery and get his bread there. The bakery sales him bread, which is very expensive because grain prices seem to go up more and more.
ReplyDelete-Jeremy McCain
According to document 30, what were the problems with the grain trade in late 1789/early 1790?
ReplyDeleteWhen the National Assembly decreed free trade in grain, it resulted in the formation of monopolies, and the consequent rise in grain prices. Document 30 shows that not only were grain prices extortionately high, but there was also a grain shortage in smaller French cities. Apparently, while massive amounts of grain were being shipped to cities such as Bordeaux, smaller cities and towns were made susceptible to famine, due to cost or shortage.
~James Scutari
According to document 30, what were the problems with the grain trade in late 1789/early 1790?
ReplyDeleteFrom document 30 it sounds like the decree on free trade of grain is creating large problems with speculation. The people complain that farmers are selling their grain to ships enroute to Bourdeuax and that only makes sense if the grain price is perceived to be higher there.
-James Murray