Final answer:
Bastille Day, celebrated on July 14th, marks the storming of the Bastille fortress-prison in 1789, an event that played a critical role in the French Revolution. It represents the victory over monarchical tyranny and the establishment of citizen rights, encapsulated in the Declaration of the Rights of Man. It is a national holiday that celebrates French independence, liberty, and national identity.
Step-by-step explanation:
Bastille Day is considered a French national holiday because it commemorates the storming of the Bastille on July 14, 1789, a pivotal event that sparked the beginning of the French Revolution. The Bastille was a fortress-prison in Paris that was seen as a symbol of the tyranny of the Bourbon monarchy. Its fall represented the uprising of the modern nation and the overthrow of traditional authority, embodying the liberation of the citizenry from years of abuse by the monarchy. This act was not only a wake-up call to King Louis XVI but also challenged the existence of the old regime. As the French Revolution unfolded, these actions led to significant changes, including the formation of a National Assembly and the adoption of the Declaration of the Rights of Man which defined liberty, property, security, and resistance to oppression as natural rights.
The celebration of Bastille Day since 1880 as the French national independence day reflects the immense importance of the French Revolution in shaping modern French national identity. The revolution forged the concept that the nation was sovereign rather than the king, and it set forth secular government values, equality before the law, and the rights of the people to free speech and assembly. The holiday also evokes a broad sense of patriotism as the event, the fall of the Bastille, is a part of the larger narrative of fighting for la patrie (the fatherland) and forming a collective national identity that replaced old allegiances to the monarchy and church.
Bastille Day is a symbol of the universal aspirations for freedom and human rights that were articulated during the Revolution. It is a day for French citizens to celebrate their national identity, freedom, and the revolutionary spirit that has influenced the course of world history.