Olympus De Gouges Research Paper

Olympus de Gouges was a French social reformer and writer who challenged the convention views of many important topics, but most notably on the role of women as citizens. Gouges dedicated her life to reforming the political and philosophical views held by many in society about the status of women by working to achieve representation and full political participation. Among other topics, De Gouges also advocated for human rights, slave emancipation, rights for single mothers and orphans, and free speech for women. Olympus de Gouges was born in southern France on December 31, 1748. After her marriage ended in 1770 she moved to Paris to further her career as a writer. After achieving moderate success as playwright, she shifted her focus to political works. De Gouges sought to bring change without sacrificing the social stability. Her views on politics were seen through her many works such as Droits de la femme, where she expressed her revolutionary ideals while having sympathy for the monarchy, and Patriotic Remarks, where she gave a number of social reforms and agreed with ending the monarchy.
De Gouges believed in complete equality for all human beings.
She produced many works that called for civil rights, but is known for works that focused on the rights of women. One of the feminist organizations, the Society of Republican and Revolutionary Women, called on her to produce a document that would serve as the declaration of women’s rights. De Gouge’s most well known piece of work would be the Declaration of the Rights of Woman, which was published in 1791. Demand included in this piece of work included freedom of speech, the right to vote, and the opportunity to obtain public office. Many viewed the declaration as a response to the National Assembly’s Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen. Essentially, this declaration stated that women equal to men in every aspect of life and should be given the same
rights. By advocating for the rights of women, De Gouges went against traditional social norms. The government did not have a tolerance for criticism which led to her eventual arrest, conviction and execution. The leader of the new government, Robespierre, did not believe in what she advocated for. In response de Gouges wrote Pronostic de Monsieur Robespierre which combined her women's advocacy rights, criticism of Robespierre, and called for support of the previous King Louis XVI. She was imprisoned and executed on November 3, 1793. Olympe de Gouges had one of the most powerful impacts during the Enlightenment. She is known as a revolutionary for women’s rights during the French Revolution. De Gouges never allowed the prejudices against her keep her from fighting for what she believed in. She believed that the natural rights of women were lost and it was the duty of women to retrieve them. Her lagacy created discussion about women's rights that had not been brought up before the revolution in France.