Women's Role In The French Revolution

Women had many roles in the Revolutionary War. Some women worked as nurses, cooks and maids and others just worked at home. When an opportunity came to explore the outside world and feel more appreciated for the work that was being put in, many took advantage of that opportunity. Women who were nurses and caregivers were really helpful because they helped to discover new ways to treat and care for people who were sick. I would say women were definitely motivated in participating because they wanted a change in the way women were viewed. Men always got most of the credit, and women wanted to receive the credit they deserved back.

Nevertheless, it is important to possess a better understanding of Olympe de Gouges to comprehend the “Declaration of the Rights of Woman.” She was born into a lower middle-class family under the name Marie Gouze in 1748 in southwest France. As a child, she was under the impression that she was the illegitimate child to her father. This belief would later influence her and fuel her into being an advocate for illegitimate children. In 1765, de Gouges married a caterer from Paris named Louis Aubry. She claimed

This book was written to further explain the important role the women played in the war. From the monograph and textbook I was able to identify the roles of women during the revolutionary times in America and have compiled supporting evidence.

The American Revolution brought great change to the colonies, and what became the United States of America. It brought freedom to the colonists from British rule, brought in a new system of government, and changed the lives of citizens in the colonies. Whether it be during the war, or after the war, women experienced a great change in how they lived their lives. All women were affected, from patriots, and loyalists, to Native Americans and Slaves. From their roles in families, to the way they were perceived by others in their areas, the lives of women would change during and after the revolution.

During the American Revolution the traditional position of the Eighteenth Century women was to essentially be in the background, almost hidden. Women were not to participate publicly in the revolution or any other political issues. Nonetheless, in their own sphere of influence, woman engaged fully in the revolution in any way they could, without actually being considered publicly opinionated. Woman were forced to be opinionated due to being directly affected by the war, and other things that came along with it such as, inflated prices, and running households and farms alone. The only way to fully comprehend the history of women from 1764-1789, is to read the diaries and letters left behind from the ladies who lived through it. In her mission

The American Revolution was a fight for independence. This battle was fought for eight-years with men on the forefront, and women in the background. The colonial woman was a homemaker. She cooked meals, made clothing, and doctored the family. At this time in America, men felt that women were beneath them and could not perform the man’s duties. However, homemakers went behind the scenes of the battlefield, and assisted in a number of different jobs. These jobs, to name a few, included being nurses, seamstresses, cooks, maids, laundresses, water bearers, soldiers and spies. Unbeknownst to the men, women would actually be needed and play a vital role in this war.

The American Revolution, as many would assume, changed the lives of several groups of people both politically and socially. Depending on the group of people, the revolution either improved or diminished the quality of life for some. When looking at the quote, "The American Revolution was not truly revolutionary. Unlike later revolutions in France, Haiti, Russia, China, and Cuba, the American Revolution did not result in broad changes in American society,” I agree with this statement when examining women before, during and after the revolution. Though, women were the group of people who worked the most, they received the least. The American Revolution did not grant women the rights and liberties they fought hard to acquire, even with the subtle changes that only continued to oppress them. During the revolution, while men were away women were the ones who took over many of their responsibilities such as farm and shop work. They aided male soldiers with simple yet important necessities such as military weapons, food and health care.

“Here individuals of all nations are melted into a new race of men, whose labors and posterity will one day cause great changes in the world.” Letters of an American Farmer, Michel- Guillaume Jean de Crévecoeur.

Olympe de Gouges, born Marie Gouze, was born on May 7th 1748 in Montauban, Southern France. The identity of her birth parents is not determined, but it is often believed that she was born to Anne Olympe Moisset. She grew up in the household of her father, Pierre Gouze, and even during her youth she displayed acts of innovation and rebellion. After the age of 17, she married French officer Louis Aubrey. They had a son and Aubrey died after the 3rd year of marriage. Following their short marriage, de Gouge took the trait of rebellion, refusing to accept the title as “Widowed Aubrey”. In addition, she vowed to never marry another man, using these two actions as a personal way of rebelling to the societies expectations. Later, she moved to Paris to pursue a life as a writer, taking the pen name of her mother and father’s combined name, “Olympe de Gouges”. She

The French Revolution was a time of cast conflict that dramatically altered the political and social order of France. Women during the revolution period had many roles including they're political involvement, donation of time to revolutionaries, and contributions to ideologies. However, with all the contributions, women were still victimized by the changes that occurred. While these roles had a huge impact on the equality between mean and women this impact did not last. Individuals such as Olympe de Gouges and Marie-Jean Roland inspired women to become involved in the revolution because of their significant political achievements that are still discussed today. Without the service and intelligence women

Post-Revolutionary France was a period where the humanistic ideals of the enlightenment period were being applied to the everyday rights of people. The Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen outlined the rights entitled to all free white men and women were not viewed as citizen at the time therefore they were not entitled to any of these rights. Olympe De Gouges exposes the hypocritical equality present in the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen through her critical summery of the systematic oppression of women in The Declaration of the Rights of Woman. Her paper is intended to inspire both men and women to fight for equality as well as all other people who are marginalized by the post-revolutionary ideals of equality. Olympe De Gouges is writing this paper as an appeal

(Foner 250). But one good thing came from the revolution: women started to be seen as

The French Revolution brought with it many sweeping changes in the realm of human rights both to France and eventually the rest of the world. Through Enlightenment ideas, groups previously viewed as second-class citizens, and even those viewed as hardly human, gained greatly enhanced rights and even citizenship with all that this entailed. Amazingly with all the rights and privileges that were being recognized as inherent to various social groups, half the population was left with little or no improvement in their station. This, of course, refers to women. While there were those who fought for women's rights, such as Condorcet, Etta Palm D'Aelders, and Olympe De Gouges; these

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.

Many women were involved in the uncertainty of women's rights during the French Revolution between the years of 1789 and 1804. Exploration of the unfolding struggles of France managed to turn my head in the direction of woman's rights more than once in my discovery. Perhaps because of the persistence of the women during this time period and their straight forwardness in their mission, was I so determined to see a positive progression in the fulfillment of their needs. "Even during a revolutionary time like this, equal rights for women seemed out of reach. Women had to struggle for a position in the revolution" (Ajaibu 2001, 1).