At the beginning of the French Revolution, a number of members of the Third Estate and some from the First Estate signed what became known as the Tennis Court Oath. These members met during the Estates-General of June 20, 1789 at a tennis court located near the Palace of Versailles. 576 of the 577 people attending signed the document.

When the Estates-General convened on May 5, 1789, the deliberations became deadlocked within one day. The Third Estate’s representation attempted to make the whole body more effective, however, the group decided to begin meeting separately from the Estates-General on May 11. They established the Communes, eventually letting members of the First Estate join as well. On June 17, the Communes was declared the National Assembly with a vote of 490 to 90. As the First Estate of clergy began to dissipate into the Assembly, a political agenda unfolded as well as legislative action.

Following the heavy losses of the French and Indian War, as well as France’s involvement in the American Revolution, the country found itself in a massive financial crisis. Debt, inflation, a lack of food, King Louis XVI’s lavish spending practices and an archaic taxation system. The First Estate of the Clergy and the Second Estate of the Nobility was not required to pay taxes, leaving the commoners in the Third Estate with the duty of filling the national coffers.