France is so different from anywhere else we’ve been! Most of their beliefs in democracy are original and had a big impact in our democracy today. We spent our first day in France at a salon, where a re-enactment of a philosophe discussion took place. The discussion was between John Locke, Baron de Montesquieu, and Jean Jacques Rousseau, three famous Enlightenment thinkers. All three wrote books about their beliefs. Locke’s book, The Treatises of Government, is based on two major ideas. The first is the right to life, liberty, and property. The second is that people can overthrow or abolish the government if they are being treated poorly. Montesquieu’s book, The Spirit of Laws, is about the idea of separation of powers, which he thought of. Rousseau’s book, The Social Contract, talks about how the government must protect the basic rights of the citizens. I felt like I was part of a real salon!
After that we went back to our hotel because we were still exhausted from England. For the rest of the day we relaxed and I read my travel guide. It explained many things. For example, humanism is a movement that focused on humans’ potential and achievements. I also read about the Scientific Revolution. This was a time period where new ideas were formed and everyone became curious. This led to the Enlightenment, or Age of Reason. After this reading I decided it was time to rest up for my tour the next day.
The next morning we got up early for our river cruise. The cruise took us by four major places in France: the Notre Dame, the Louvre, the Museo d’Orsay, and the Eiffel Tower. The Notre Dame, a Roman Catholic church located in Paris, was our first stop. It took 100 years to build it and I can see why. All the intricate details, from the wood carvings to the huge columns, are so beautiful! My favorite part of the church was all the stain glass windows. They were so beautiful!
The Beautiful Notre Dame
After the Notre Dame it was onto the Louvre, one of the world’s largest, and most visited, museums in the world. It is the home of many famous art pieces including the Mona Lisa. Our tour guide shared with us that it served as a palace until Louis XIV moved to the Palace of Versilles. How cool!
The Louvre was so cool!
Our third stop was another museum, the Museo d’Orsay. Originally a railway station, it now serves as an art museum. It contains the largest collections of impressionists and post-impressionists. Although it is not as popular as the Louvre, it was equally as interesting!
The Museo d'Orsay
Our last stop on our river cruise, and basically our trip around the world, was the Eiffel Tower. It is the largest building in Paris, being 1063 feet high and weighing 10,100 tons! That’s a lot of weight! It opened March 31st, 1889 and is the most visited monument in the world. What a great end to our fantastic trip! Me and my friends had a blast! I can’t wait to get back and share all about it! If I had to rewrite that contest paper, I could write a whole book! I can’t wait for the contest next year! I wonder what the prize will be... I’ll just dream about it until then.
The majestic Eiffel Tower
France Contributions:
Locke:
- Power comes from the people
- right to life, liberty, and property
- leadership protecting natural rights
- citizens’ right to overthrow or abolish government
Baron:
- separation of powers (three branches)
- natural rights
- citizens participate in government
- government must protect liberty
Rousseau:
- social contract between government and citizens
- government needs to respond to the needs of the people
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