A pledge made by the members of France's National Assembly in 1789, in which they vowed to continue meeting until they had drawn up a new constitution, is called what?

• A. Tennis Court Oath
• B. Magna Carta
• C. Oath of Seizure
• D. Bill of Rights

Answer: (A)

The pledge tests understanding of a pivotal moment in the French Revolution when revolutionary leaders asserted that a new constitutional order would be created through collective action, not royal decree. The Tennis Court Oath was taken by members of the National Assembly on June 20, 1789, after they found the meeting hall closed to them. They gathered in a nearby tennis court and vowed not to disband until they had drafted a new constitution for France. This act symbolized a commitment to constitutional government and popular sovereignty, showing that the people’s representatives would shape the nation’s laws rather than leaving power solely in the king’s hands.

Magna Carta is a medieval English document that limited the king’s power in that context, not a French revolutionary pledge. The Bill of Rights refers to English rights established in 1689, not a French oath. The Oath of Seizure isn’t a recognized historical pledge related to France’s constitutional movement.