Members of the National Assembly needed weapons to fight against the king. They stole thousands of guns and cannons, but they still needed the gunpowder to use them. They knew they could find gunpowder at the Bastille. The Bastille was a prison in Paris, but at this time it had only a few prisoners. More importantly, the National Assembly considered the prison to be a symbol of royal power. On July 14, 1789, the National Assembly attacked the prison. This historic event was called the Storming of the Bastille. At first, the National Assembly crowd tried to negotiate with Bernard-René de Launay, the military governor of the prison. But when the negotiations weren't going fast enough, the crowd turned into a violent mob. The guards of the Bastille opened fire on the mob, and over 100 people died. Outnumbered, Launay and his men raised a white flag and surrendered the Bastille to the revolutionaries. The people of the National Assembly walked away victorious. With the bloody terrors of the fight still ahead, their spirits were high. The French had no idea how challenging freedom would prove to be. The French celebrate their independence on the Fourteenth of July, Bastille Day. Why did the National Assembly go to the Bastille?
A to search for guns and cannons
B to find gunpowder
C to kill the guards
D to free the prisoners