Focus: The resources for this unit (The French Revolution and Romanticism) are part of the individual resources titled The Enlightenment, The French Revolution and Romanticism. This unit (Unit 4 for schools using the CKHG series in Sequence grade-level order) introduces students to both the French Revolution and the cultural movement known as Romanticism.
The unit first explores how Enlightenment ideas of freedom, equality, and natural rights, as well as the recent American Revolution, helped ignite the French Revolution in 1789, bringing down the ancien régime—the “old order,” with its indulgent absolute monarchy and rigid social classes. Students learn how radical political changes gave way to violence, including the execution of King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, followed by the Reign of Terror under Robespierre, during which many died under the guillotine’s blade. The French Revolution ended when the military genius Napoleon Bonaparte rose to become dictator and then emperor of France. Great art, music, and literature flourished during the time of French Revolution and the decades afterward. Initially, Neoclassicism, or a return to the forms and influences of Greek and classical art, took hold. Partly in reaction against Neoclassicism, and partly inspired by new ideas of nature and the individual articulated by Rousseau and others, the Romantic movement in art, literature, and music flourished. Students are introduced to representative Romantics, including the poets Byron and Wordsworth; the composers Beethoven, Schubert, Chopin, and Schumann; and, the painter John Constable.
Number of Lessons: 25
Lesson Time: 45 minutes each daily. Each lesson may be divided into shorter segments.
Additional Search Terms: social studies • geography • map skills • nonfiction • informational text • John Locke • Montesquieu • Voltaire • Jean-Jacques Rousseau • Louis XIV (Sun King) • Versailles • Bastille • First, Second, and Third Estates • Declaration of the Rights of Man • Women’s March to Versailles • National Assembly • “Liberty, Equality, Fraternity” • Wellington and Waterloo • Jacques-Louis David, The Oath of the Horatii • Delacroix, Liberty Leading the People
CKHG Grade Levels: CKHG units are correlated to topics at the grade levels specified in the Core Knowledge Sequence, which allows students in schools following the Sequence to build knowledge grade by grade. This particular unit falls in Grade 6 in the Core Knowledge Sequence. In other settings, individual CKHG units may be used as supplemental resources. In general, the content and presentation in the CKHG units for Grade 6 are appropriate for students in Grade 6 and up.
