Source A
Origin:
- an excerpt from Travels in France, written by 18th-century English economist Arthur Young
Purpose:
- the purpose of Young’s work was to serve as a guide for the English people of France’s plight →the excerpt specifically illustrates the Third Estate’s living conditions
- as such, it is unlikely that Young had an agenda when releasing Travels in France
Values:
- because Young was vastly credited for being largely objective in his various works, Travels in France is perhaps one of the less biased foreign accounts on the immediate time prior to the French Revolution
- Young’s work was published directly after the French Revolution, thus its contents are likely to be more accurate in capturing the hardships of the proletariat
- during Young’s travels though France from 1787 - 89, he had many first-hand interactions with the French people during the buildup to the French Revolution; hence, his journal acts as an excellent primary source when determining the reasons for the early French Revolution
- despite Young’s educated status, he acknowledges France’s grossly unequal taxation system (an educated man’s perspective on the poor’s struggles instead of a peasant’s perspective)
- Young was not French, thus, he had no reason to exaggerate the plight of the Third Estate in hopes of gaining sympathy, or to lighten the reality of the situation
- for these reasons, by reading Young's work, one gains a first-hand view into two of the Revolution's causes – heavy taxes and crushing feudal dues
