Essay #1
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?The French Revolution and the Significance of the Role of Women?
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Lee Cooper?
Norwalk Community College?
Western Civilization II?
Dr. Phillip J. Wax??
12/7/2022?
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Lee Cooper???
Dr. P.J. Wax???
Western Civ. 2??
12/2/22??
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Women of the French Revolution????
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People often tend to look beyond what many women accomplished during the bloody years of the French Revolution, especially because it was such a dark time. The main idea of the Revolution, in the eyes of the men, was to create a society in which everyone had rights that could not be taken away from them. Even though this was the goal, the women were able to play a much larger role, creating a lot of controversial issues and impacts that even the men sometimes agreed with. Women were often mistreated and were not perceived as equal members of society. Most of their voices were silenced and never acknowledged. Before the revolution, the only role for which women had to be accountable was to ensure that the children and the house were handled while their husbands were working. It was not until the revolution had begun to take effect that many women developed the courage to stand up for themselves, creating new perspectives on what roles women should play. This is when many ideas that the women had created for themselves were put into action. Many new influential names of women had begun to take significance as word spread through the public discourse. Once the women gained support, they began to rebel, creating defining events in history that can be seen as the first step in the right direction for the rights of women. Without the involvement of women during the French Revolution, the outcome may have been drastically different. The declaration of men's rights and advocacy for women's rights would not have been written, and the corrupt leaders of the nation may have gained more power.??
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One of the most important accomplishments for women during the revolution was that they gained the ability to write and speak publicly and thereby influence others. They were not able to accept the situation they had faced, and would do anything with their power that had to obtain a necessary change. While many women agreed with the ideas on the roles that women played during the revolution, others implemented them throughout society. One of the most vital role models for the women was Olympe De Gouge. She was heavily influential, and it was often shown in her work that she had a say for both men and women during that time. Over many years, her writing for the social reform of women began to make traction with many of her peers who were enslaved by their husbands. In Olympe De Gouges' work of the Declaration for the Rights of Women, she states in article two, “The purpose of any political association is the conservation of the natural and imprescriptible rights of women and men; these rights are liberty, property, security, and especially freedom from oppression.” (Gouge, 1791)1. When Olympe created an outline for these regulations, she wanted to ensure that no opposition could happen after the work was officially published. Therefore, it has been said she replaced the word men with women. She wanted to use her reforms to benefit as many people as possible but did not realize how influential her writings would become. The same ideas were implemented when she helped write the Declaration for the Rights of Man. The only difference between the two was that rather than women being given their human rights as men did, they were seen as a form of revolt against how women were treated. She had advocated her opinions and was heavily influenced by what the men believed about natural-born rights. The only aspect that was different in her eyes was equality based on the merit of gender. Olympe wanted other women to know that equality would become a permanent fixture, and they were part of a great historical event. Like many others who gained enough courage to speak their opinions during the Revolution, Olympe was put on trial for trying to convey a message to the French women through her political writings. After finishing her part of the Declaration for the Rights of Women, she made it clear that this accomplishment was dedicated to the queen. She stated that with a noble intention to support the progress of women's rights, “which will happen only when all women are aware of their deployable fate, and the rights they have lost in society” (Diamond, 1990)2. Olympe was driven by a new age of social transformation that many people often feared. This is the reason she was put on trial, which would lead to her execution on November 3, 1793.??
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Sophie de Condorcet, who also played a leading role during the revolution, was an exception to many women at the time. Unlike many others, she dedicated her life to the concept of new thought, alongside her husband, Marquis de Condorcet, who advocated for her. Sophie was a higher-level intellectual woman. Even though she could marry a well-respected man in society, she believed that women’s suffrage was a critical issue that had to be resolved, based on her own life experience. Sophie was a scholar and developed many skills over her time. One of her main skills was as a translator, with this skill she gained respect from many men. This was an exceedingly rare occurrence for a woman and is part of the reason she became so influential to others. She is also considered a philosopher who discussed many republican theories. With many women creating new ideologies of how many of them suffered throughout society, Sophie was part of a small group among the women who were not afraid to spread her ideas to the men who surrounded her daily. The idea of feminism was what made the women during the revolution so significant, and the reason they gained a following. While Sophie was able to create change among many women, she also had unique ideas of psychological reform. While in prison waiting for her execution date, Sophie wrote, The Future Progress of the Human Mind, where she emphasized that the expansion of knowledge would eventually lead to a world where every individual would have freedom and moral compassion. A good example of her message from her writing is, “It is impossible to speak for or against an event that will occur only at a time when the human species will necessarily have acquired knowledge that we cannot even imagine. And who would dare to predict what the art of converting elements to our users may one day become?” (Condorcet, 1794)3. This quote from her last piece of writing was unique because she could predict what kind of future would take place if her ideologies were put into action. She knew how powerful knowledge would become if it was used in the right way. Based on the knowledge obtained throughout her life, she envisioned what true individual freedom would look like, and why development throughout human history is crucial to success. In a study of Sophie de Condorcet, done by Johns Hopkins University, Guillaume Ansart states, “Condorcet is very careful to define genius not as a distinct intellectual facility, but as a greater force of attention” (Ansart, 2009)4. Europe at the time of the revolution was in its own form of struggle; therefore, many people who were fighting for the revolution looked at America as the model for what Europe should become. This is because the government in America allowed every individual to have their own freedom after the Revolutionary War.??
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When women began to question how they were treated throughout their lives, it was only a matter of time before they started to stand up for what they believed in. This was the first step in history in which women had the opportunity to make such a stand. Since women were not able to play a role in society, some of them decided to make progress as intellectuals and activists against their abuse. They had often lived as peasants or even housekeepers and were looked on as passive members of society. Many women were easily persuaded to join the movement because of the lives they led and the experiences they had. One of the first moments that sparked the revolution, and the transformation of women, was known as the March on Versailles. The main goal of this revolt was for the ‘fish ladies’ who worked in the marketplace to kill King Louis XVI and his wife. There was a women named Theorigne de Mericourt, who worked in the marketplace who had stated, “Let us arm ourselves, let us show the men that we are not their inferiors in courage and virtue. Let us rise to the level of our destiny and break our chains. It is high time that women emerged from the shameful state of nullity, to which the arrogance and injustice of men has long condemned us” (Alpha History, 2019)5. Theorigne wanted to show women the main reason they had the power was due to their being treated badly over many years. The main reason they had such a violent revolt was because of the amount of tax placed on one of their primary sources of food. Once the march had begun, they decided to kill anyone who stood in their way from the royal family, and an example had been set for new activists. Even though the king and queen barely made it out alive, they were forced to respond to the atrocities they believed had taken place. Louis refused to agree with any part of the revolution, which would become the reason for his death. Before he died, his last words to the people were, “I die innocent. I pardon my enemies, and I hope my blood will be useful to the French, that it will appease God's anger” (Mélisande, 2020)6. With a corrupt leadership in France at the time, the only option the women had was to rebel. Women during the ancient regime were born into a lifestyle of pain and suffering. When King Lois XVI was in power, he made many poor decisions, especially for the people of his nation. Each class of women was given a different perspective on what it meant to be feminine, but they all had the same opinions about their gender. A good quote to see how the women looked at the revolution is as follows, “Revolutionary feminism began in a burst of enthusiasm. Its own popularity, its own mistakes and the blissful incomprehension and dogmatism of its opponents combined to obliterate it” (Rose, 1995)7.?
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The French Revolution was one of the most influential times, which included psychological reform. It was also able to end the reign of the longest running monarchy and would change the course of history forever. Women had been suffering at the hands of men for many years. They embraced themselves with the idea that knowledge can be utilized as a power for change. Olympe de Gouge, Sophie de Condorcet and even leaders like Marie Antoinette all had undeniable roles in the French Revolution. The thought processes of women, contributed to many of the documents that gave both men and women better freedoms and lifestyles. The women were able to recognize that the men were the ones in control and wanted to make sure that genders treated each other with more respect. When a society does not have their foundation built the right way, power is often maintained in an unfair manner. If the women had not made it their duty to involve themselves for a better way of life, the revolution would have played out differently, and the rights of women would have inevitably had to be addressed. It is hard to picture the French Revolution without any kind of involvement from women.?
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Reference Page?
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Alpha History, (2019) Quotations from women of the French Revolution https://alphahistory.com/frenchrevolution/quotations-women/?
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Ansart, Guillaume (2009) Condorcet, Social Mathematics and Women's Rights Johns Hopkins University https://www-jstor-org.nkcc.idm.oclc.org/stable/40264216?searchText=condorcet&searchUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicSearch%3FQuery%3Dcondorcet&ab_segments=0%2FSYC-6704_basic_search%2Ftest-1&refreqid=fastly-default%3A33b212349b088591b2d4ab6c5736c8e5&seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents?
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?De Gouge, Olympe (1791) The rights of women https://pages.uoregon.edu/dluebke/301ModernEurope/GougesRightsofWomen.pdf??
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De Condorcet, Sophie (1794) The Future Progress of the Human Mind?
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Diamond, M. J. (1990). OLYMPE DE GOUGES AND THE FRENCH REVOLUTION: THE CONSTRUCTION OF GENDER AS CRITIQUE. Dialectical Anthropology, 15(2/3), 95–105. https://www.jstor.org/stable/29790339?
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Melissande, M. (2020, April 29). Last Words from the Guillotine. Madame Mélissande. https://madamemelissande.com/last-words-of-the-guillotine/?
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Rose, R. B. (1995). Feminism, Women and the French Revolution. Historical Reflections / Réflexions Historiques, 21(1), 187–205. https://www.jstor.org/stable/41299020?