Why was Olympe de Gouges earned a name for her work in winning women’s rights?

Why was Olympe de Gouges earned a name for her work in winning women’s rights?

The desire to fight in equalities against women began by the end of the eighteenth century. Bold, pioneering woman like Olympe de Gouges played a vital part in this, by publishing “Declaration of the Rights of Woman”. It was published in 1789. She wrote this as a protest against the omission from the French Revolutionists’ Declaration of the Rights of Man. Around the same time, an English governess, Mary Wollstonecraft published “A Vindication of the Rights of Women”. These works have remained a milestone in the women’s rights movement.

In 19th century, American civil right leader Susan B. Anthony (1820 – 1906) played a crucial role in the women’s rights movement to secure women’s suffrage in the United States. She traveled through the length and breadth of the United States and Europe and gave 75 to 100 speeches per year on women’s rights for nearly 45 years.

In the course of Susan’s campaign for securing voting rights for women, she was arrested for casting a vote in the presidential election held on November 5, 1872. She pleaded not guilty, arguing that the Constitution entitled her to vote.

Susan Anthony recited a now famous speech before the court, in defense of women’s suffrage. The following is an excerpt from her court speech:
“Friends and fellow citizens: I stand before you tonight under indictment for the alleged crime of having voted at the last presidential election, without having a lawful right to vote. It shall be my work this evening to prove to you that in thus voting, I not only committed no crime, but, instead, simply exercised my citizen’s rights, guaranteed to me and all United States citizens by the National Constitution, beyond the power of any state to deny.

The preamble of the Federal Constitution says: “We, the people of the united States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice ensure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America”.

It was we, the people; not we, the white male citizens; nor yet we, the male citizens; but we the whole people, who formed the Union. And we formed it, not to give the blessings of liberty, but to secure them; not to the half of ourselves and the half of our posterity, but to the whole people women as well as men”.

Star Fact

Babur, the Mughal emperor is said to have been extremely strong and physically fit. Legend holds that Babur swam across every major river he encountered, including twice across the Ganges.

Why is the French Revolution so unique?

Why is the French Revolution so unique?

The late eighteenth century saw a new phenomenon of common people rising in opposition to the monarch and kings who ruled them. These important revolutions occurred in countries like England and France.

First, England’s main colonial possession in North America declared itself independent and emerged as a new nation. Next, the French people, weary of the absolute despotism, rebelled against Louis XVI, who had been in power since 1774. Both the middle class and the poor had long been unhappy with the privileges and power of the nobility. Their anger ignited the revolution when Louis declared the nobility exempt from taxes.

On July 14, 1789, an enormous throng of people stormed and captured the Bastille, the Royal Fortress in Paris. The people declared themselves to be citizens of France, and no longer subjects of the King of France. As the momentum of revolution grew, anarchy reigned in France especially in Paris. The King, the Queen and their family were imprisoned; and in 1793, they were beheaded one by one on the guillotine.