Western Civilization II / Unit 7 WC2 0608 short lesson, about 20 seconds
The National Assembly and the Tennis Court Oath, June 20, 1789
Captions available
The idea
When the king confirmed voting by estate in June, the Third Estate, joined by sympathetic priests and nobles, declared itself the National Assembly. Locked out of its hall on June twentieth, it swore on a tennis court not to disperse until France had a constitution.
In practice
The anchor: the Revolution's true beginning.
Where people slip
The witness confirms the terms; the lockout was accidental.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
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