The American and French Revolutions during the late 18th century are significant because they symbolized democracy. Throughout history, the only forms of government that have been present have mainly been monarchies, but thanks to revolutions, people are finally realizing that they have certain rights that cannot be taken away from anyone. The revolutions marked a new era of democracy, an era of sovereignty and the rights of the people. The American and French Revolutions rebelled against their government and established their own form of government. Although they occurred at different times, these two revolutions share many similarities and differences. The American Revolution was the result of mistreatment by the British king and parliament. The Seven Years' War doubled the English national debt (Jones, 143). To pay the cost of the war, the British turned to their American colonies. A series of laws and acts were passed to raise revenue for the post-war debt. These acts infuriated many Americans which eventually led to the American Revolution. The first act imposed by parliament was the Sugar Act. The act increased the duty on sugar and various products entering the empire from non-British ports (Jones, 144). To enforce the Sugar Act, several courts were established with a single appointed judge. With the establishment of these courts, Americans lost the right to be tried by jury, which increased resentment toward the British government. In addition to the Sugar Act, acts such as the Stamp Act, the Declaratory Act, the Townsend Act, and the Intolerable Acts pushed Americans to the brink of revolution. The trigger for the revolution came from the Boston Massacre in 1770, when British soldiers opened… half the paper… a century shared a major flaw. In these two documents neither addresses the issue of slavery and women's rights. The declaration focused primarily on the rights of adult white males. Overall, the two revolutions shared similarities and differences despite having occurred on the other side of the world in a different time period. The American and French Revolutions are similar, but also different in many ways. Revolutions symbolized change during this time period. People begin to believe that democracy and popular sovereignty can be achieved. The two revolutions showed the world that people can resist the king and establish their own way of ruling. Although"French Revolution (1787-99)." Encyclopedia Britannica online. Encyclopedia Britannica, nd Web. 10 November. 2013. .