RAFT-The Execution of Louis XVI

The execution of Louis XVI was a major turning point in the French Revolution.  It signaled the beginning of the most radical phase of the revolution, the Reign of Terror.

Read an Eyewitness Account of Louis XVI's execution and the background information:
Eyewitness Account
http://www.ibiscom.com/louis.htm

Print out the document analysis worksheet adapted from the National Archives and answer the questions using the eyewitness account.


You are going to write a newspaper article about the execution of Louis XVI.  Using information from your text and the eyewitness description linked to this lesson you will use the following form:
Role-Choose point of view. You are either a newspaper reporter for the Paris Revolutionary Times or a reporter for the Émigré Daily Royalist.

Audience-Paris Revolutionary Times readers-Jacobins who want a republic and think that the king is a traitor to France.

Émigré Daily Royalist readers-Ousted members of the nobility who have been forced to flee France and want the revolution to be over and the monarchy restored.

Form-The form is a newspaper article about Louis XVI’s execution. The following is required:

Headline title, a small inset picture of anything appropriate.

1st Paragraph-who, what where when…using descriptive details, suitable adjectives, and crowd reactions (chanting, interviews, etc.)

2nd Paragraph-the reasons for the execution from your person’s point of view. Recount the events that led up to the execution from the financial crisis and the meeting of the Estates General in May, 1789, through the attempted escape of the king and his family, to the trial of the king.

3rd Paragraph-Your character will predict the results of the execution on France from the point of view of your role.  Don't forget, you have the advantage of knowing what really happened.

Time-the day after the execution.
 
 

Making your article look like a newpaper:

  1. After composing your first draft and making revisions you are ready to type your news article
  2. Open Word
  3. Select a font that looks like newspaper print-Times New Roman is a good choice
  4. Under "Format"on the tool bar, select columns.   Choose 2 columns (more than 3 results in columns so narrow that only two or three words will fit on a line.
  5. Select an 18 point size font in bold for the headline and 12 point size for the body of the article.
  6. Insert a picture at the top of the second column.