Analysis Of Olympe De Gouges ' Declaration Of The Rights Of Woman

G.D. Anderson stated it perfectly when she said, “Feminism isn't about making women strong. Women are already strong. It's about changing the way the world perceives that strength”. Olympe de Gouges and Mary Wollstonecraft both believed in the strength of women, and would definitely have agreed with this statement made by Anderson. De Gouges and Wollstonecraft also believed that it was time for the world to see women as strong, individual people, rather than reproducing puppets that can be passed from man to man and disposed of when they were no longer needed. De Gouges and Wollstonecraft wanted women to have more rights than they already did. Was this radical thinking? Yes. Was this the kind of thinking that needed to be told to the public? Absolutely. Change is inevitable, but with passionate and courageous women like De Gouges and Wollstonecraft, the conversation on the rights for women in Europe gained more attention and was able to continue on the path that lead us to where we are now. On top of this, de Gouges and Wollstonecraft were similar in their ways of approaching the sensitive topic that was society and gender order in Europe. In both of their writings on European society, gender roles, and rights of women, Olympe de Gouges and Mary Wollstonecraft were the same level of radicalness.

Olympe de Gouges wrote this document. She was a butcher’s daughter who directly challenged women’s inferiority to men. This woman was charged with treason and then hanged on November 3, 1793 for fighting for women’s rights. The document states ten articles that give good examples of why women should have equal rights as men and should also be considered a citizen. The ten articles listed are Article 2, Article 3, Article 4, Article 6, Article 7, Article 11, Article 13, Article 14, and Article 17. Some important articles are Article 1, which states how women are born free and their lives should matter just as much as a mans. It also says that you should only look at their common utility when it comes to social distinctions. Also, Article 6 stating that men and women are both equal in the eyes of the law and that both may be employed and hold high positions based on their virtues and talents.

The first source that will be evaluated is Marie Gouze also known as Olympe de Gouges’s, Declaration of the Rights of Woman and The Female Citizen written in 1791. The origin of this source is valuable because Marie Gouze was a self educated women

This aimed to be in the middle of communism and a laissez-faire government, towards capitalism. Blanc, a French political leader understood the desire for freedom, but interpreted it differently than laissez-faire. He stated human beings merely want a strong government; for every weak person to have the social forces to protect them. As a leader, he is bias in a way that he would rather have a strong government, rather than risking the society by withdrawing Industry. Roland, a French writer and political activist, also wanted her rights and wrote in document six, “Woman is entitled to work as is a Man.” She renounced the rights of a women, aiming for all human beings to understand that we are all equal and have the same rights, unlike when a woman was not able to own property during the Reform Bill of

Olympe de Gouges (1748-93) lived in the French revolution, she was a writer, she cared for women and mostly about women rights, in her domain of writing she wrote many plays and published them, not forgetting that the woman role in those periods was very neglected and didn’t have a role in politics and social matters. Her story is interesting, her real name is Marie Gauzes, a daughter of a butcher and a farmer, she got married by the age of 16, after a while her husband died and she was gifted a baby, she refused to take her husband’s name, yet she took her maiden name in resignation, crafted herself a new name, using her mother’s middle name, added “de” and changed her father’s to Gouges. She helped applying equality for women in the era of

The “Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen” and the “Declaration of the Rights of Woman” declares equal rights to all citizens. As outlined in point 3 in the “Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen”: “The source of all sovereignty resides essentially in the nation; no group, no individual may exercise authority not emanating expressly therefrom” (4/6). This statement shows that power is to be exercise by the people and their representatives, and clearly challenged the current rule of the Louis XIV as an absolute monarch. In “The King’s Declaration”, he criticizes the inefficiency and the accumulation of power of the assemblies and explains in different parts of his declaration that his rule as a monarch is important and essential for the well being of France. As Louis XIV points out in “The King’s Declaration”, “The does not think it is possible to govern a kingdom of such great extent and importance as France though the means established by the National Assembly, as they existed at present” (12).

The leaders of the revolution were not ready to give equal rights to both sexes, as they only believed in equality between men. They did not give women legal rights or share political participation with women. On November 3rd, 1793, because of the Reign of Terror, de Gouges and many other female political activist were sentenced to death at the guillotine. She was sentenced death for “seditious behaviour and attempting to reinstate the monarchy”, she later stated that she published her works to benefit the happiness of her country, and to “propagate (publicize) the principals of the

Born on the year of 1748 as the daughter of a butcher, Olympe de Gouges lived a humble life. In this time period and on a butchers salary Gouges’s only chance at education was to teach herself. Using her education Olympe de Gouges became a spokesperson for the working french woman. In Declaration of the rights of woman and the female citizenship written in the year of 1791 she Writes to the national assembly, and the general public who can read. Here Gouges challenges the the ideal women roles during this time. Asking for women to be given the same rights as men. Here she questions what gives men the power to make women second class citizens, she questions if it's their talent sexuality, or even the creator. In the articles she is essentially

Olympe de Gouges, a playwright of France at the time of the Revolution, spoke for not only herself however several of the women of France, when in 1791 she herself wrote and publicized the "Declaration of the Rights of woman and of the Citizen” .

The greatest of these feminist ‘Amazons’ was Mary Wollstonecraft. Her Vindication of the Rights of Woman was published in 1792, and still speaks directly to us. But she was by no means alone. Catherine Macaulay was one of the women figures of the 18th century. She is well-known for her multi-volume History of England. In 1790, she wrote Letters on Education, arguing, as Wollstonecraft would do a little later, that women’s weaknesses were utterly abnormal and unnatural, but were yielded by the bad quality of education that women were subject to. Macaulay was also a ferocious opponent to the sexual double standard, insisting that a one single sexual experience does not turn a virgin into a wanton. She adamantly discarded the notion that women

                          Paul Halsall. "Modern History Sourcebook: Olympe De Gouge: Declaration of the Rights of Women, 1791." Internet History Sourcebooks. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Nov.

In 1971, Olympe de Gouges demanded equal rights in her Declaration of the Rights on Woman and the Female Citizen. “Woman is born free,” she stated, “and her rights are the same as those of man.” Therefore, Gouges reasoned, “all citizens, be they man or women, being equal in the states eyes, must be equally eligible for all public offices, positions, and jobs.” Later in the revolution, women met resistance for expressing their views in public, and many, including Gouges, were imprisoned and executed. The Declaration of the Rights of Man met resistance as well. Hesitant, Louis XIV did not want to accept the reforms of the National Assembly. Nobles continued to enjoy gala banquets while people were

Olympe De Gouges, born Marie Gouze in 1748, was one of the most profound, bellicose and confrontational female advocates of the French Revolution. She is a perfect example of a woman who denounced eighteenth-century gender constraints through her writing, in her Declaration of the Rights of Women and the Female Citizen Olympe begins by asserting; “woman is born free and remains equal to man in rights, social distinctions may be based only on common utility” (Hunt). Olympe De Gouges devoted her life to her political beliefs, as she worked tirelessly to attain representation and adequate political presence in the public sphere for women. However, Olympe de Gouges had many more concerns and her rhetoric included works on several different issues as well, such as; “private rights, such as inheritance, married

The French Revolution led to reconsidering women’s place in society because the idea of the French Revolution was to find new ways to govern a society. Pre-revolutionary, the social norms for women was to stay home, take care of the children, and be dependent on their husband. Although women had some form of political rights, they were insignificant compared to men. During the French Revolution, women hoped that there would be social, political and economic change away from social norms, but it is seen that women were still experiencing inequality. Feminists like de Olympe de Gouges and Marquis de Condorcet had such difficulty persuading men to recognize women as equals. Even with the influence of ideas of the Enlightenment period, women’s rights were still ignored due to the perception of women being unfit in politics and being more fit in the role of a mother and a wife. The Declaration Rights of Women (1791), published by Olympe de Gouges, challenged the social norms and countered the declaration for men. Soon after, women again were backlashed for trying to obtain rights after Napoleon came into power.

How equal are women and men? This sentence has lots of varying answers, and Olympe de Gouges was one of many women who fought for equality. Olympe de Gouges was born on May 7, 1748 in Montauban, France. Her birth name is Marie Gouze, which later changed to the name we know, Olympe de Gouges. She was a French playwright, whose plays focused on the issues she took on. An example of her play was “Zamore”, and that play was focused on slavery, which was standard and expected thing for getting work done. Olympe de Gouges was one of the first women to go against what the government said about women, and three of her ideas are, women should be able to hold office, women should be able to vote, and lastly, women should be able to serve for her country. In terms of women's rights, Olympe de Gouges would be buoyant with our society.