ActivitySource E The Life of a revolutionary woman- Olympe de Gouges (a) Who is the lady referred in the information? (Page 19, Source E) (b) Why did she protest against the Declaration of Rights of Man and citizens (c) Mention one of her achievements and whom did she dedicate it to? (d) Many women’s political clubs were formed during Robespierre regime. But never recognised them. He claimed to be granting liberty and equality, but never to women. How did Olympe de Gouges raise her voice? What were the consequences? (e) Write down four basic rights that she set forth in her declaration for women.
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Answer:
The Declaration of the Rights of Woman and the Female Citizen (French: Déclaration des droits de la femme et de la citoyenne), also known as the Declaration of the Rights of Woman, was written on 5 September in 1791 by French activist, feminist, and playwright Olympe de Gouges in response to the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen. By publishing this document, de Gouges hoped to expose the failures of the French Revolution in the recognition of gender equality, but failed to create any lasting impact on the direction of the Revolution. As a result of her writings (including The Declaration of the Rights of Woman and the Female Citizen), de Gouges was accused, tried and convicted of treason, resulting in her immediate execution, along with the Girondists in the Reign of Terror (one of only three women beheaded during the Reign of Terror - and the only executed for her political writings). The Declaration of the Rights of Woman is significant because it brought attention to a set of feminist concerns that collectively reflected and influenced the aims of many French Revolution activists.