On what date did the Third Estate vote to leave the Estates-General and form a new body of government for the people of France?

On what date did the Third Estate vote to leave the Estates-General and form a new body of government for the people of France?

• A. June 17th, 1789
• B. May 5th, 1789
• C. July 20th, 1789
• D. August 4th, 1789

Answer: (A)

The date tested reflects when the Third Estate asserted popular sovereignty and created a new governing body by declaring itself the National Assembly. On June 17, 1789, they voted to act as a single assembly and to draft a constitution for France, effectively leaving the Estates-General behind and establishing a new representative body for the people. This moment marks the shift from an Estates-General dominated by privileges to a national assembly meant to embody the nation’s sovereignty. (Related events include the Tennis Court Oath a few days later, and the later abolition of feudal privileges in August, while the Estates-General first gathered in early May 1789.)

The date tested reflects when the Third Estate asserted popular sovereignty and created a new governing body by declaring itself the National Assembly. On June 17, 1789, they voted to act as a single assembly and to draft a constitution for France, effectively leaving the Estates-General behind and establishing a new representative body for the people. This moment marks the shift from an Estates-General dominated by privileges to a national assembly meant to embody the nation’s sovereignty. (Related events include the Tennis Court Oath a few days later, and the later abolition of feudal privileges in August, while the Estates-General first gathered in early May 1789.)