Difference Between French Revolution And Thomas Paine

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.

Beginning in 1789, the French Revolution was a time of rebellion, passion, betrayal, death, violence, and perseverance. Before 1789, King Louis XVI was taxing his poorest people heavily, whilst the rich were hardly taxed at all. The socioeconomic system in place at the time, known as the ancien regime, ruthlessly upheld the status quo. When the tension in France rose to a boiling point, fiery, young rebels to rose up against the Monarchy, the Ancien Regime, and the Clergy. These revolutionaries desperately wanted change, and they had three main principles around which their movement centered: Liberté, Égalité, and Fraternité. Liberty is the freedom to do as one pleases so long as one’s actions do not unjustifiably harm others. Equality is being considered the same. Fraternity is a sense of brotherhood and companionship. The goals of the French Revolution were initially achieved with alacrity, however they were abandoned with relative quickness as malcontented leaders quested for, and abused, power and authority.

The revolution also impacted France because it lead to the creation of the Declaration of the Rights of Man. The members of the National Assembly created the Declaration of the Rights of Man to state the rights that they believed were deserved by all people and would create equality throughout France. The rights that were listed throughout the declaration were modeled after the Declaration of Independence that had just recently been created in the United States of America. The first right written in this declaration is that all men are created equal and are naturally good (document 5). This shows that no matter what social class one is in, they should be treated with the same respect.

The “Declaration of the Rights of Women”, written by Olympe De Gouges, is a document that proves how in the 1790’ s women were trying to break-free from the belief that men have all the rights. This document was published in 1791 and it was made in comparison to the “Declaration of the Rights of Man” which was published in 1789. Olympe De Gouges wrote this document because she felt that despite having the French Revolution women were not receiving the rights they deserve. In the “Declaration of the Rights of Women” Olympe De Gouges often times mentions that women have the right to property, employment, and divorce. All of these principles relate to the Enlightenment idea because she is arguing for natural rights that many women back then were not given. De Gouges emphasizes that women deserve the right to have jobs and that they can equally fulfill the responsibilities that once belonged to a man. In the end of the “Declaration of the Rights of Women” De Gouges’ mentions a marriage contract which gives proof of Enlightenment thought because she argues that women should not have to stay married to their husbands if they don’ t respect them. Olympe De Gouges document, the “Declaration of the Rights of Women”, reflects the ideas of Enlightenment because throughout the document she often times mentions how women have every right to own property because it is a right that all “men” are given. She explains that women deserve to have employment and that by doing so they can go out

The Parliament and crown declaring laws to a country, on the other side of the world, was beyond the Patriots in America. With more regulations and rise in taxes, Patriots did not anticipate on letting Britain rule them but rebel and gain their independence. Amongst many were Patrick Henry and Thomas Paine, who proved to the “candid world” that the break from Britain was justified.

Thomas Paine originally came from Thetford, United Kingdom, born into a Quaker family. Paine received little formal education from Thetford Grammar School in the years 1744 to 1749, but learned standards for an educational foundation such as reading, writing, and arithmetic. In his youth, he worked alongside his father as a stay maker and “later worked as an officer of the excise, hunting smugglers, and collecting liquor and tobacco taxes” (Biography). Unfortunately, Paine was unsuccessful in his work attempts despite holding multiple jobs while living in England. After his termination as an excise officer, he met Benjamin Franklin who convinced Paine to move to America and provided him with letters detailing life in the new nation.

“There is something absurd, in supposing a continent to be perpetually governed by an island”, (Thomas Paine, Common Sens, 1776). With this powerful statement, Thomas Paine made it undeniably clear that he stood against the control of his motherland England over America, and that it was time for the New World to fight for their independence.

In three documents associated with historical revolutions, Thomas Jefferson’s The Declaration of Independence, the French National Assembly’s The Declaration of the Rights of Man, and Olympe de Gouges’ The Declaration of the Rights of Women, readers are presented with the markedly different perspectives on revolution and reform that their authors held, painting a picture of ideals in revolutions separated by both an ocean and an inherent difference in perceptible motivation. Though each document mentioned is notably more progressive than the last in its criticisms of social inequalities, with The Declaration of the Rights of Man advocating for social justice at the outset, and The Declaration of Independence making no mention of social

Also, it often included spontaneous rioting and craziness which included many women in the popular insurrections. In 1791, the “Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen” echoed many of the ideals of the Enlightenment. This progressive document helped further the rights for many and pushed forward the agenda of equal rights; however, many women, including de Gouges, saw this document as portraying the failure of the French Revolution. The next phase, the Republican Revolution, clamped down and cut many of the progressive laws and ideas that were characterized by the Liberal Revolution. Women were banned from the political sphere; many who spoke out against those in charge were executed for their opposition. Included in those who were executed were Olympe de Gouges in 1793. Therefore, the rest of the French Revolution is not necessary to understand her as a historical figure.

The destruction of the monarchy during the French Revolution symbolized the Enlightened opinion that people shared fundamental rights. Questions about what it truly meant to be a citizen, especially in respect to political responsibilities such as voting and holding offices, were passionately contemplated and defined. However, prejudices quickly created controversies over whom, exactly, these rights and privileges belonged to. Craftily referred to as “citizenesses”, women were one such deliberated group during the French Revolution. In an era when absolute religious rule was renounced, opposing opinions tried to justify the inclusion or exclusion of women in this civil rights revolution using their own interpretation of what “nature” intended.

Throughout European history, women have struggled endlessly to become the intellectual and social equals of their male counterparts. After hundreds of years of physical labor, housekeeping, child rearing and many other difficult tasks, women’s attitudes about their place in life began to change. In the last few years of the eighteenth century (after tough and troubled decades) possible beginnings of early women’s rights were born when society began to evaluate the education and potential of women as a social class.

However, the strongest statement of the early feminists was the Déclaration des droits de la femme et de la citoyenne written in September 1791 by Olympe de Gouges. She was known as an activist on behalf of women's rights. In 1788 she wrote a pamphlet, Lettre au peuple, au projet d’une caisse patriotique, conveying her wishes for women to play an important role in the work of national regeneration and to aide bringing a political reformation(Source 1-18). After the Revolution the early feminist movement prompted the changes the caused the redefinition of women.

The French Revolution (1789-1814) was a period that affected the outcome of world history tremendously. This is considered a major turning point in European history which has led to dramatic changes in France and other regions of the world. Various social and political issues led to the start of the revolution. Politically, France suffered under the rule of Louis XVI, who ruled by absolute monarchy. Many people had their natural rights renounced and weren’t able to have a political voice. Socially, France had divided its population within 3 estates (classes). French citizens took it upon themselves to remodel their country 's’ political structure. The French Revolution had encountered both positive and negative effects. However, many Europeans viewed the Revolution as much more than just a bloody massacre. The French Revolution was used to demonstrate new ideology that would emphasize the principles of liberty and equality throughout Europe.

“Man, are you capable of being fair? A woman is asking: at least you will allow her that right. Tell me? What gave you the sovereign right to oppress my sex?" This quote was the beginning statement of Olympe de Gouges’ Déclaration des Droits de la Femme et de la Citoyenne, or the “Declaration of the Rights of Woman and the Female Citizen” in English. De Gouges was a political activist and playwright in 18th century France who was executed for treason after exercising her right to freedom of speech. She stated that "Woman are born free and remain equal to man in rights” (“Declaration of the Rights”). Equal means “as great as; the same as; like in degree or value; of the same rank, ability and merit; having adequate powers, ability, or means; and level, as a plain” (Webster’s Dictionary), but men and women are not equal. For centuries, men and women have fought toward more equal and egalitarian societies. For example, in 1848 The Seneca Falls Convention brought women together to call for equal treatment and suffrage rights (“America: Pathways to the Present”). Then, in February of 1853, the first feminist newspaper- The Una, a paper devoted to the elevation of women- was printed and sold (“Women 's Rights Newspapers”). By 1920, not only was The Women 's Bureau of The Department of Labor formed, but all women in the United States gained the right to vote. Despite all this progress towards equality, there are still many ways in

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.