The Women of the French Revolution

Paper Summary:

This paper examines how one of the most significant aspects of the French Revolution was the incredible momentum the women's movement achieved during this time. It looks at how, during a time of intense suffering and turmoil, women came together to fight for a common cause and how ,in the wake of the Enlightenment and the French Assembly issuing the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen, French women rose to the occasion and courageously demanded freedom and equality. While many of these women did not live to see the equality they fought for, their efforts proved to be a constructive force during the French Revolution.

From the Paper:

"Olympe de Gouges was another influential woman who fought for equality. In 1791, Olympe de Gouges wrote a Declaration of the Rights of Women. She demanded that women be looked at as citizens as well as mothers, wives, daughters, and sisters. In her declaration she also argued that women have the right to own property. She also argued for equality in marriage and education. She encouraged women to "wake up; the tocsin of reason is being heard throughout the whole universe; discover your rights" (de Gouges). Her declaration demonstrated how the rights described in the Declaration for the Rights of Man and Citizens created basic rights for everyone, including those that it did not cover."

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