Heroes to the Future
“If we withdraw our speakers from the campaign, we withdraw the issue from the campaign” (Baughman). If a hero is taken away from the fight, there is no longer a fight. Alice Paul and Olympe de Gouges were heroes that got taken out of the fight, but fought back with a vengeance. Though different in how they fought for their causes, Alice Paul and Olympe-de Gouges both demonstrated heroism by speaking out and fighting to gain women’s suffrage.
The heroism of Alice Paul and Olympe de Gouges is shown through their radical actions and commitment to their cause. Gouges wrote many pieces of influential literature that expressed her thoughts towards the government’s position on women’s suffrage at the time. In 1791, she published
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a pamphlet called the Declaration of the Rights of Women and of the [Female] Citizen. She wrote it in reply to the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the [Male] Citizen during the French Revolution (Kuiper). Throughout the revolution, she knew that women needed to make an impact; she wanted suffrage and equal rights to be a part of the new government being formed. “She [Olympe de Gouges] advocated for the complete legal equality of the sexes, more job opportunities for women...better education for young girls, and the establishment of a national theater that would show only plays written by women” (“Marie-Olympe de Gouges.”). She appeared before a board of the highest ranking officials and spoke up about the hardships these minorities faced. Her ambition and bravery to speak out and make change led her to become a hero for these minorities. Alice Paul picketed the white house in response to the refusal of women’s suffrage in the supreme court (Zahniser). “She believed that for women to gain the vote...her dedicated followers in the Woman's Party must picket the White House” (Baker). These actions show her fearlessness of judgement and her heroism because of that. She knew that conservative feminists would be appalled by her actions, but it was the only way for her voice to be heard. Though they lived in different times, Alice Paul and Olympe de Gouges were very similar.
They fought for the same causes - suffrage and human rights. “For half the population, voting marked a crucial step toward equality” (Baker). They both fought to protect the basic rights of women and minorities and knew that this step could only lead to more progress for suffrage and equal rights. They both, also, had a government against them. “The prosecutor drew up formal accusations and de Gouge was held for trial. She was found guilty and condemned to death according to article one of the new constitution” (“Marie-Olympe de Gouges”). Olympe was arrested for criticizing the “New Government” and fighting for an unpopular cause. She paid the ultimate price, and could only hope her actions would inspire others to step up and become heroes, like herself. Alice Paul, the radical reformer that she was, also went to jail for her cause. She made a statement that, since she was not considered a part of lawmaking, she was not subject to it (Baughman). Although this statement may seem ridiculous, it made an impact on politicians, who got scared of a revolt and started making progress. Alice Paul and Olympe de Gouges opposed what was considered “normal” and fought for what they believed in; because of this, they were punished and Olympe de Gouges even lost her life, which inspired others, like Alice Paul, to be ambitious and fight for what they believe in, not just what is …show more content…
popular. Alice Paul and Olympe de Gouges were different too, though. While Alice Paul was picketing and boycotting, Olympe de Gouges wrote pamphlets and caused controversy with her written words (Baughman). They also had very different upbringings. In 1885, Alice Paul was born to a modest, feminist quaker family in Moorestown, New Jersey (Baughman). Contrastingly, Olympe grew up in a broken household. “It is commonly believed that she was born and raised in a modest family... However, it was rumored that de Gouges's mother had an affair with a person of high social rank, Marquis Lefranc de Pompignan. The marquis, many claimed, was de Gouge's real father” ("Marie–Olympe de Gouges."). The last reason they were different is because of the people that helped them achieve what they did. Alice Paul had the public and the National Woman’s Party, which she started, to help her. “The public outcry pushed President Woodrow Wilson to back the amendment” (“Suffragette City”). Without the support of the public to pressure Wilson there may have never been a vote in the state and there wouldn’t be the equal rights we have or are still working to gain, today. On the other hand, Olympe de Gouges had practically no one to help her, because she wrote her own thoughts and her own opinions (Commire). She had to be brave and confident in her words, and could only hope that they would be taken seriously and respected. Although they fought for similar causes, Gouges and Paul were very different in how they fought, how they were raised, and who helped them. Alice Paul and Olympe de Gouges left a lasting impact on the world and the feminist movement.
In the 1960’s and 70’s, historians evaluated and it was realized that change happens by “ordinary citizens compelling national debates about America's founding principles… Alice Paul gained increasing attention as a commanding figure who reshaped the suffrage landscape and spurred victory” (Zahniser). Alice’s accomplishments were looked over later and it was recognized that this ordinary citizen had changed the entire feminist and suffrage movement. She impacted half of the population by achieving women’s suffrage and moving on to helping others by writing the Equal Rights Amendment and starting the NWP (“Suffragette City”). Olympe de Gouges was also looked over in her time, only thought to be a minor play write, but upon later research, it was realized that she paved the way for suffrage in modern day France (Hesse). “Gouges's Declaration of the Rights of Woman received little attention upon its initial publication in 1791... It is only since the 1970s, with the renewal of the feminist movement in France, that Gouges has begun to receive scholarly and public recognition as one of the political founders of modern France” (Hesse). A true hero leaves an impact on the future, even if it is not recognized at the time. Alice Paul and Olympe de Gouges definitely impacted many people’s lives and helped pave the way for feminism, suffrage and minorities’
rights. Though they have differences and similarities, Alice Paul and Olympe de Gouges paved the way for women’s suffrage and the fight for equal rights. Without their help and dedication, over half the population would be treated unfairly and unequally. They have inspired modern day radical reformers to work hard and fight for what they believe in, even if it's the unpopular opinion. While there is much work to be done in the field of total equality and equal rights for all, Olympe de Gouges and Alice Paul got the ball rolling and helped make way for a new and more equality friendly future. So, how will you be inspired by these women to make change for not only the world we live in today, but the future as well?
Both Mary Wollstonecraft and Sor Juana de la Cruz are writers of the Enlightenment period, but they each approach women’s rights in a different way. While De la Druz was a Catholic nun from Mexico ad preferred to study and be alone, Wollstonecraft asserted women’s rights for all through publications directed at the masses. During the Enlightenment, people began to question old authoritative models like the Church. Our texts states, “thinkers believed inreason as a dependable guide. Both sides insisted that one should not take any assertion of truth on faith, blindly following the authority of others; instead, one should think skeptically about causes and effects, subjecting all truth-claims to logic andrational inquiry” (Puchner 92). Indeed,
I have read Kathryn Kish Sklar book, brief History with documents of "Women's Rights Emerges within the Antislavery Movement, 1830-1870" with great interest and I have learned a lot. I share her fascination with the contours of nineteenth century women's rights movements, and their search for meaningful lessons we can draw from the past about American political culture today. I find their categories of so compelling, that when reading them, I frequently lost focus about women's rights movements history and became absorbed in their accounts of civic life.
Women throughout the suffrage act were faced with many challenges that eventually led into the leading roles of women in the world today. Suffrage leaders adopted new arguments to gain new support. Rather than insisting on the justice of women’s suffrage, or emphasizing equal rights, they spoke of the special moral and material instincts women could bring to the table. Because of these women taking leaps and boundaries, they are now a large part of America’s government, and how our country operates.
This work was rejected by many of the more conservative elements in the movement and a storm of protest arose as many of her colleagues condemned her. When she dies in 1902, she was no longer the movement’s leader and was unfortunately, not around to see women’s suffrage in the United States. Her crusade lasted for over fifty years of her life, as she learned and profited from her mistakes and failures, realizing that everything isn’t perfect. Even though she has been dead for quite some time now, her concerns, ideas, and accomplishments have endured and continue to influence the feminist movement and other movements for progress in the twentieth century.
After the success of antislavery movement in the early nineteenth century, activist women in the United States took another step toward claiming themselves a voice in politics. They were known as the suffragists. It took those women a lot of efforts and some decades to seek for the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment. In her essay “The Next Generation of Suffragists: Harriot Stanton Blatch and Grassroots Politics,” Ellen Carol Dubois notes some hardships American suffragists faced in order to achieve the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment. Along with that essay, the film Iron-Jawed Angels somehow helps to paint a vivid image of the obstacles in the fight for women’s suffrage. In the essay “Gender at Work: The Sexual Division of Labor during World War II,” Ruth Milkman highlights the segregation between men and women at works during wartime some decades after the success of women suffrage movement. Similarly, women in the Glamour Girls of 1943 were segregated by men that they could only do the jobs temporarily and would not able to go back to work once the war over. In other words, many American women did help to claim themselves a voice by voting and giving hands in World War II but they were not fully great enough to change the public eyes about women.
Whether it is the Ancient Greece, Han China, the Enlightened Europe, or today, women have unceasingly been oppressed and regarded as the second sex. Provided that they have interminably been denied the power that men have had, very few prominent female figures like Cleopatra, the Egyptian Queen, or Jeanne d'Arc, the French heroine, have made it to history books. Veritably, it was not until 1792 when Mary Wollstonecraft’s A Vindication of the Rights of Women addressed the issues of gender equality, that some started hearkening the seemingly endless mistreatment of women. New Zealand was the first country to grant women the right to vote in 1892. The United States did not endorse this until 1920 when the 19th Amendment was ratified, which states “The right of citizens of the United States votes shall not be denied or abridged… on account of sex.” This, however, was not the end to women’s plight. For the majority of the 20th century, America’s idea of a good woman was a good mother and a good wife. In the 1960s and 1970s, a movement that would later bring fundamental changes to the American society was spreading rapidly throughout the country: The Women’s Liberation Movement. With the increasing number of educated women, gender inequality received more attention than ever before. Hundreds of women came together to fight domestic violence, lack of political and economic development, and reproductive restrictions. One of these women was an ordinary girl from Ohio named Gloria Steinem who would later become a feminist icon in the United States. Steinem contributed to the Women’s Liberation Movement by writing about feminism and issues concerning women, co-founding Ms. magazine, giving influential speeches— leading he movement along with...
“Compare and contrast women’s suffrage movements of the late nineteenth and early centuries with the European feminist movements of the 1960’s and 1970’s.” Whereas the women’s suffrage movements focused mainly on overturning legal obstacles to equality, the feminist movements successfully addressed a broad range of other feminist issues. The first dealt primarily with voting rights and the latter dealt with inequalities such as equal pay and reproductive rights. Both movements made vast gains to the social and legal status of women.
Throughout history, women have struggled with, and fought against oppression. They have been held back and weighed down by the sexist ideas of a male dominated society which has controlled cultural, economic and political ideas and structure. During the mid-1800’s to early 1900’s women became more vocal and rebuked sexism and the role that had been defined for them. Fighting with the powerful written word, women sought a voice, equality amongst men and an identity outside of their family. In many literary writings, especially by women, during the mid-1800’s to early 1900’s, we see symbols of oppression and the search for gender equality in society. Writing based on their own experiences, had it not been for the works of Susan Glaspell, Kate Chopin, and similar feminist authors of their time, we may not have seen a reform movement to improve gender roles in a culture in which women had been overshadowed by men.
To begin with, there are many events in United States history that have shaped our general understanding of women’s involvement in economics, politics, the debates of gender and sexuality, and so forth. Women for many centuries have not been seen as a significant part of history, however under thorough analyzation of certain events, there are many women and woman-based events responsible for the progressiveness we experience in our daily lives as men, women, children, and individuals altogether. Many of these events aid people today to reflect on the treatment of current individuals today and to raise awareness to significant issues that were not resolved or acknowledged in the past.
Sometimes, in order to have justice in this world, violent actions need to be taken to be able to get a point across and fight for what is fundamentally right. In today’s society, feminism is viewed as a non-violent way of having the social, political, and economic equality of the sexes. However, it was not always like that. In order to have the level of equality modern societies have today, daring and sometimes violent things took place. A case in point being the Suffragette movement in the early 20th century. Over the years, the Suffragettes faced many challenges and winning feats such as being granted their right to vote federally, but their actions and the actions taken by one of their most successful groundbreakers, Thérèse Casgrain, are the reason why women can now be treated equally in Canadian society.
The French Revolution was a period of time in which France underwent many changes, many which could be considered revolutionary. France’s whole system and way of being was completely changed. New ideas were proposed everyday. An idea is revolutionary when it is a new idea, when it is something that has never been thought of before. The Declaration of the Rights of Women written by Olympe de Gouges on September 1791, was one of the ideas proposed to the National Assembly (Hunt, Web 1). The document proposed that since the French Revolution was all about finding equality for all people, women should be equal to men and therefore, should have the same rights as men did. Women at the time live in terrible conditions. They had little access to education, and therefore could not enter professional occupations that required advanced education, were legally deprived of the right to vote, and were not considered citizens (Class Discussion Notes). If equal rights were not given to women, the French Revolution had not reached its full potential, according to Gouges. She expressed this idea in her document, saying, “This revolution will only take effect when all women become fully aware of their deplorable condition, and of the rights they have lost in society” (Gouges, Web). Anyone that questioned the Revolution was immediately put to death (Class Discussion Notes). If Gouges’ document and ideas were important enough to catch the attention of the National Assembly and for her to be put to death, her ideas could be considered important and revolutionary (Britannica, Web 1) But, the document was not revolutionary. The Declaration of the Rights of Women was not a revolutionary document because its ideas were taken from other people and were no...
In the mid nineteenth century America was going through an age of reform. The person who would be the center of these reforms would be the women in society. Women soon realized that in order to make sure that all the reforms went through they would need more power and influence in society. The oppression and discrimination the women felt in this era launched the women into create the women’s right movement. The women fought so zealously for their rights it would be impossible for them not to achieve their goals. The sacrifices, suffering, and criticism that the women activist made would be so that the future generations would benefit the future generations.
Throughout literature’s history, female authors have been widely recognized for their groundbreaking and eye-opening accounts of what it means to be a woman in society. In most cases of early literature, women are portrayed as weak and unintelligent characters who rely solely on their male counterparts. Also during this time period, it would be shocking to have women characters in some stories, especially since their purpose is only secondary to that of the male protagonist. But, in the late 17th to early 18th century, a crop of courageous women began publishing their works, beginning the literary feminist movement. Together, Aphra Behn, Charlotte Smith, Fanny Burney, and Mary Wollstonecraft challenge the status quo of what it means to be a woman during the time of the Restoration Era and give authors and essayists of the modern day, such as Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, a platform to become powerful, influential writers of the future.
As a cultural movement, Romanticism “revolted against academic convention, and authority,” and the “limitations to freedom” that Romantics saw in the Enlightenment period (210). “Among European intellectuals, the belief in the reforming powers of reason became the basis for a progressive view of human history” (144). Enlightenment figures Antione Nicolas de Condorcet and Mary Wollstonecraft advocated for one such progressive cause, the rights of women. Wollstonecraft’s A Vindication of the Rights of Woman put the idea of women’s rights into the minds of people during the Enlightenment period. As a merely progressive view, women did not obtain rights such as voting until the passage of the 19th Amendment in 1920. Enlightenment writers like Jonathan Swift and Voltaire, used satire to “[draw] attention to the vast contradictions between morals and manners, intentions and actions, and, more generally Enlightenment aspirations and contemporary degradation” (158).
Reaction Paper 1: Iron Jawed Angels “Courage in women is often mistaken for insanity” (von Garnier, 2004, part 10) and that is exactly what courage was viewed as when the women’s suffrage movement erupted in the mid 1800’s and it was quite the uphill battle from there. Iron Jawed Angels captures the height of the women’s suffrage movement with Alice Paul, a liberal feminist, as the front woman in the battle against Congress. Paul’s determination to pass a constitutional amendment can be seen through her dauntless efforts to go against the societal norms of the time to fight for women’s rights. Through the first wave of the women’s suffrage movement seen in Iron Jawed Angels, the struggles women endured for equality have a lasting impact on American society.