The French people were tired of the absolutist rulers. They wanted rights and were tired of being oppressed by the kings and
aristocrats. The common people wanted the rights that many modern day citizens of many countries,"liberty, equality, and fraternity. It was time for a change. This change came during the period ofEnlightenment.
 
    According to Georges Lefebvre in The Coming of the French Revolution, the major cause of the French Revolution was the advancement of the Third Estate, the class known as the bourgeoisie. The eighteenth century proved to be very prosperous for these individuals. This increase in economic power led to a call for reform. They outnumbered the other classes but neglected to have a voice in politics. They took a vow, The Tennis Court Oath, to never rest until a constitution was written to reform the current government. The people destroyed the Bastille and captured the king after he declined to sign The Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen. The Third Estate decided to take matter into their own hands to reform the Old Regime. The Declaration was incorporated into the Constitution in 1791. The first article of the Declaration states that "men are born and remain free and equal in rights".
 
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