The Rights of Woman (1791) was written by Olympe De Gourges ( birth name was Marie Gouzes) when the French Revolution failed to give men and women equal rights. This declaration was intended to revise the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizens. Her declaration is to remove gender equality which existed in a very unjust world she lived in. Why can women be treated which such abuse or extreme punishments but they are not permitted to speak publicly. In the end, she was executed during the Reign of Terror by going against the law in 1793.

The author is Olympe De Gourges ( birth name given as Marie Gouzes). Olympe wanted to promote the rights of women as equal to men. After the French revolutions, there was a declaration of the rights for men only. From this, Olympe felt there weren’t any benefits for the women after the French Revolution. Matter fact, it was so unjust that she had to lay a foundation of rights for women that she had to fight for against the government which eventually caused her to be executed.

The main argument is unequal gender equality. Olympe lived in a gender and social stratified society. Women don’t have access to equality due to their gender; such rights for example, speech, liberty, prosperity, security, and etc. Besides having equal gender rights, she stated that unmarried women should be free to reveal the father of their children. Also, she mentioned widowed women and her children should have a fair share of wealth from their husband.

What is strong about this is that she is one of the early females to stand up for women rights. This piece she wrote which costed her her life was remembered and mentioned in today’s books because it was a groundwork set for women who she felt deserved equality and freedom of speech which women are born to have. What is weak  and very unfortunate was the fact that she was executed because she fought for what she felt was right. Where was unity in this? Did all women gathered to stand up for their rights and unite to form a group to go against government? If no one stands up for their rights, there will be no major force for the government to change the laws. Were their guidelines given to women from Olympe De Gourges to do so? The standards and ideas of Olympe was far to much to be accepted during that time.

Yes, it is successful in conveying her messages to women and citizens. She clearly wrote what was unjust to women and clearly stated 17 articles of what I consider to be equal and fair rights between men and women. After all, she was the early females who went against government to fought for her own rights as well as for other women. This was her passion until death by execution.

Looking back from now, there is improvement in woman’s rights. However, not perfect, but there is good progress. Not talking about the world but in United States, we still live in a gender and social stratified society. Still, men and women don’t have access to equality  due to their gender, social position, and wealth. But back to the topic on gender, now a days, there is still a wage gap between men and women. We are still in a society filled with competition but comparing to the times when Olympe was alive, women have far more rights than back then. Women can be governments, have the right to vote, have arguments, and have a share of wealth from their husband after divorced. Also, we have minimum wage which during her time didn’t have.

After Napoleon kidnapped and killed Haiti’s first revolutionary hero, General Toussaint L’ouverture, Jean Jacques Dessalines rose up as his successor to lead the struggle which would defeat the white French settlers and create their newly freed nation called Haiti. Dessalines defeated French troops during the revolution and proclaimed the newly freed nation of Haiti. In 1804, Dessalines had the white Haitian minority killed by ordering the Haiti Massacre. In the proclamation, Dessalines declared Haiti an all-black nation and forbade whites from owning property or land there. He vowed to the Haitian inhabitants that “never again shall a colonist or a European set his foot upon this territory with the title of master or proprietor.” Dessalines mentions his promise to General Toussaint L’ouverture and his fight against tyranny and slavery. Dessalines also states that people of mixed races such as “blacks and yellows” are now “consolidated and make but one family.” A long divided and enslaved Haiti is now free under the control of Dessalines who vows to abolish anyone trying to enslave his people, while also encouraging friendly nations to provide encouragement and security to anyone willing to “establish commercial relations” on the enriched island.

The author is Jean Jacques Dessalines, successor of Toussaint L’ouverture, who helped create the free nation of Haiti after defeating French troops during the French Revolution. Jacques wrote this document to ensure Haiti’s freedom from further enslavement. Although scorned for his brutality towards the white minority in Haiti, he is known as one of Haiti’s founding fathers. He also declared himself emperor and governor for life until he was killed in a revolt in 1806.

The main argument in Dessalines Liberty or Death: Proclamation to the Inhabitants of Haiti, is the promise of a new and liberated nation. “Blacks and yellows, whom refined whom defined duplicity of Europeans has for a long time endeavored to divide: you who are now consolidated and make but one family…..should be sealed with the blood of our butchers.” I believe Dessalines is referring to the massacre of the white minority that he orchestrated. This document was written soon after the massacre that killed around 4,000 people. In my opinion, this article had its strong and valid arguments, yet on the other hand, one can’t help but wonder why Dessalines sounds so eager to never let anyone set foot in his land with the title of master when he had declared himself emperor and governor for life. Although he might not have been such a tyrannical leader, his own title contradicts his feelings towards masters and proprietors. Looking back from today’s age and the way things have evolved, we have definitely come a long way from slavery and genocides. Today’s society, in America at least, equality has come a long way whether it be on the topic of women, different races, and now even homosexuality. All the liberators and abolitionists who fought for equality and greatness would not be disappointed with the equality we have achieved today.

1. Simon Bolivar wrote this text when he was exiled to Jamaica. He wrote this letter in order to gain Britain’s support for Latin America’s independence from Spain.
2. The author of this text is Simon Bolivar. He was also known as “El Liberador” which also means the Liberator because he has helped Latin America gain their independence from Spain. He looked up to Rousseau and Voltaire and was inspired by the French Revolution. He wrote this letter to gain support of Latin America’s independence and wanted to unify Latin America.
3. The main argument of this letter is to gain Britain’s support and to show that the people of Latin America are humans that deserve human rights. Bolivar is constantly questioning the reader to emphasize the problems in Latin America. He explains to the reader that they are “still in a position lower than slavery, and therefore it is more difficult for [them] to rise to the enjoyment of freedom.” He constantly reminds the reader the freedom and rights that the people of Latin America doesn’t have and how they feel lower than slaves with constant labor in order to feed Spain’s greed. Bolivar uses these examples to persuade the reader to help Latin America be free of Spain’s rule.
4. The strong points of Bolivar’s letter seems to be when he questions the reader constantly. It directs the reader to the thought that Bolivar wants them to have. He tries to gain empathy by questioning “But are not the people of those islands Americas? Are they not maltreated? Do they not desire a better life?” The weak point of his letter is his conclusion on unity. It feels like he could’ve emphasized it more.
5. I think it is successful in conveying its message because it shows how the people in Latin America are suffering as well as how Spain caused it. This text also gains my empathy because of how the people feel “lower than slaves.” The system that the Spaniards put on the people made them feel a way that they feel weak and hopeless and it makes me want to reach out and try to help them.
6. In the political aspect, there has been some progress. There have been many dictators throughout Latin America that the people have went against and succeeded. Even so, there are still Latin American countries that are unhappy with the inequality they face.

First and foremost I would like to state I am happy to be assigned to read feminist pieces of work! Marie Gouze was born in a butchers family in the south of France in 1748. A French activist and playwright took the the name Olyme de Gouges. The Declaration of the Rights of Women published in 1791 in order to bring into light the extreme gender inequalities during the French Revolution. She states, “This revolution will only take place when all women become fully aware of their deplorable condition, and the rights they have lost in society,”. That sentence in itself has so much power in my opinion because she is trying to inform women how severe and poor their status in society is. By exposing the truth she is trying to unleash the beast (women) to step up and take part in their natural born rights. That being in politics, marriage equality, ownership, speech, duties, the list goes on and on. Another favorite line was,”Women have the right to mount the scaffold, they must also have the right to mount the speaker’s rostrum”. De Gouges exclaims women are allowed to be condemned equally as men but denied equal rights. I absolutely love this piece because she is basically telling women to wake the hell up! Additionally, to stand together and realize the importance of oneself. I wish she was still alive so I can grab a cup of tea/coffee with her. I believe she was very successful in conveying her message as it was a stepping stone to where we are today. She introduced the real issue and it was the baby steps that needed to be taken in order to expose the blatant inequality among men and women. Nowadays you can definitely see the power of a female, common example taking place is a female running for president! It is beautiful how a women’s chance of receiving an education, enjoying a constitutional right to equality and living longer have increased. However there are always double standards in place and women will in my opinion never fully achieve same respect as men universally.

The reading I chose was The Rights of Woman by Olympe de Gouges. This text was published 1791 after the French Revolution. It explicitly revises the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen. This text claims that the logic of the French Revolution which is its demands for freedom and equality and the overthrow of an old system of oppression must be also extended to women.

The author of this text is Olympe de Gouges she was French playwright and political activist whose feminist and abolitionist writings reached a large audience. As political tension rose in France she became more politically engaged. She became an outspoken advocate for improving conditions for slaves in the colonies. She is best known as a feminist demanding that French women be given the same rights as French men.

The reason she wrote the text was because she was alarmed that the constitution, which was to promote suffrage did not address nor even considered women’s suffrage. It also did not address key issues such as legal equality in marriage, the right of women to divorce her spouse if she was abused by him, or a woman’s right to property and custody of the children. So she created this text that was to be in her opinion the missing part of the Constitution of 1791. This would allow women to be given the rights they deserve. In her postscript, Gouges exhorts women to wake up and discover that they have these rights. She assures them that reason is on their side. Gouges asks, “What are the benefits that you have reaped from the revolution?” She states that the answer is nothing, except to be marked with yet more disdain. She exclaims that women should no longer tolerate this, they should step up, take action, and demand the equal rights they deserve. Gouges calls the notion that women are lesser beings an outdated concept. In this, she shows strongly her Enlightenment perspective—to break from old, illogical traditions that are now archaic. She asserts that to revoke women’s right to partake in political life is also outdated.

In my opinion this text was stronger than weaker. Her argument is an example of of a strong women standing up for what she believes in and not hiding behind the shadows like many did. She was a rebellious fighter for women equality and a role model to many women. It was very successful in conveying its message because as we can see today progress has been made. Women now have the same rights as men. They have the right to vote, speech etc. Even though she was executed because of her beliefs her dreams did come true. Through the long run and fight women were given their place and now have the same voice as men. We are no lesser than them. Even though there is still some gender inequality the situation is much better than when the period the text was written. Even though more can be done.

“The Rights of Woman” by Olympus De Gouges was written in 1791, as a revision for “The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen.” During this time period, men had all the power in society. Men owned all the property, and were the only ones allowed to do public speaking. In response to this, De Gouges decided to revise all the articles, by including women in them. Her argument was, women and men are equal, women shall obey the laws like men do, women shall have the same rights as men do, and women can do public speaking like men do.

The author, Olympus De Gouges, was the daughter of Marie Gouzes, and Olympe de Gouges. Olympus De Gouges was a playwright and a Persian intellectual. She had written many political writings expressing her ideas, such as abolition of slavery, and the rights of orphans and unwed mothers. During the early 1700s, woman weren’t seen as equals, they were hired to work in factories for low wages, and they couldn’t own anything. In response to all of this, De Gouges published “The Rights of Woman,” which ultimately led to her being beheaded at the guillotines.

The main point of this piece was, women should be able to born free from any discriminations and should be seen as equals of men. Women should be able to have the same obligations as men do, and obey the same written laws. If men can own property, or have free communication of thought and opinion, then women shall too.

The postambule written at the end of the piece was really strong. It was a wakeup call to all women telling them they should come out and say something and put an end to all of this. It asked, “O women! Women, when will you cease to be blind? What are the benefits that you reaped from the revolution?” (De Gouges, 27) The answer to this was nothing; there were no benefits from the revolution, and there was no telling when women would step up and call for changes. The fact that the piece was so radical was the weakness to it. It led to De Gouges’ death, which could’ve dissuaded other women to step up and fight for women’s rights because they would fear of the same outcome.

This piece ended up to be successful in conveying its message because in the late 1800s, the Seneca Falls convention established women’s rights.

Looking back, this piece has definitely made a huge impact on history. If it wasn’t for this piece, there would be no women’s rights, and all those faces and voices we know and love from television, newspaper and radio would not be heard from. If women were not treated equally as men, we wouldn’t have women running for president, or any position in the government. Women would not be able to go to school, or become successful in their fields of interest.

1. Give a brief introduction to the text, situating it historically.

• This piece was written by Simon Bolivar who led the fight for independence of Latin America from Colonial Spain. He has left such a large impact that two countries are officially named after him: Republica Bolivariana de Venezuela and Estado Plurinacional del Bolivia. After losing a battle, Bolivar was sentenced to exile/prison in Jamaica where he wrote his original letter entitled “Letter From Jamaica”.

1. Who is the author(s)? What is their situation?

• The author here is, again, Simon Bolivar. Since he originally writes “Letter From Jamaica” and gets a response, he replies back with this piece entitled “Reply of a South American to a Gentleman of this Island [Jamaica]”. Here, the letter begins quite positive as he understands that his receiver understands the gravity of his situation, that Spanish presence in Latin America is unwanted and is causing danger as well as suffering.

1. Summarize in your own words the main argument of the piece you’ve chosen.

• Simon Bolivar is writing to gain empathy from the British. They are in desperate need of help and even writing to Britain can hold Spain accountable. In this letter, Simon Bolivar is trying to convince his reader that Spain is wrong in being tyrannical, that people in Latin America are in fact people and is time for them to be freed.
• Bolivar also tries to use Logos. On page 46 he questions Europe and their values and asks them if they can ignore what is going on in Latin America if it’s so wrong compared to what they hold true. On page 47 Bolivar asks if Europe can allow Spain to continue if they know that Spain is growing weaker and weaker from trying to expand more.

1. What is strong about it? What is weak?

• While I understand that Simon Bolivar needs to be writing to his audience, I feel like he was very wordy. I even though this piece is very short, it needed to get to the point faster.
• The reason that it is strong is the way it was written, to whom it was written, and the fact that it was written by Simon Bolivar himself. He is a man who gained a lot of credibility and that made him a reliable source. Since his original letter was published in Great Britain, I think it was smart that it was written to an Englishman in Jamaica because now he has the support of one of Spain’s enemies. On the topic of wordiness, it was very eloquently written, and that’s why I stated before that I understand that Simon Bolivar had to write the way he did to reach his intended audience.

1. Do you think it is successful in conveying its message?

• I think it is. The whole letter is explaining what is happening in each section of Latin America. In New Spain, in New Grenada, in the Viceroyalty of Peru, and other areas. It’s kind of like the Declaration of Independence where almost every offence is listed. The only difference here, is that the offences are explained a little bit more seeing as there is a more physical presence and thus more physical offences.

1. Looking back from 2015, do you think progress has been made?

• In the topic of Spain in general, I learned in my IDC 4050H class that there was a summit and all Latin American Countries were in attendance as well as the Kingdom of Spain. While Spain has no, and I mean NO, say in what each Latin American country does, (disregarding the islands in the Caribbean that they have as well as the Canary’s in the Atlantic) Spain still tries… My teacher told our class that the King of Spain was trying to “control” the speakers of the summit and they weren’t responding, especially Castro who kindly told him to be quiet.
• As far as Latin America as a whole… Even after Spain left, there has been a long, Long, LONG history of military occupations, invasions, and dictators in all of Latin America’s countries. It’s really sad and people today are still not happy with the governments and the leaders they have, but many of the countries are doing really well.
• Lastly, when the letter briefly brought up Puerto Rico and Cuba, I could not help but think about the indigenous people that they completely eradicated… it’s sad that Puerto Ricans today can’t every know what life was like back then. In Panama, for example, where we still have our indigenous people, we can still learn from them and gain insight to how things were in the past. For Puerto Rico, this will never be the case…

After taking over for Haitian liberator Toussaint L’Ouverture, Jean Jacques Dessalines vowed to continue the liberators actions and keep Haiti free. The Haitian revolution in 1791 was led by L’Ouverture and was in the making for a while. After the fall of the French Monarchy during the French Revolution, many slaves and freedmen on the island began to question their freedom and rights. Fearing further retaliation, Napoleon freed the slaved on the island in an effort to retain power. After defeating both the British and Spanish on the island of Hispaniola, L’Ouverture was exiled in Europe in 1802 and died approximately a year later.

His radical second-in-command Jean Jacques Dessalines took over in 1803, and fought off another French invasion in that same year. After the victory over the French, Dessalines wrote his proclamation, Liberty or Death. This was meant to act as both a deterrent for nations that want to colonize the island, as well as a declaration of the values and ideals held by the new leader of Haiti, and his follower.

In essence, the main argument of Liberty or Death is simply stating that Haiti is now a sovereign nation, free of slavery and tyranny of any kind, and will not stand for any attempt of colonization. He also calls upon the people to work to “protect their own salvation,” which further emphasizes the point of a sovereign free nation.

I find the argument to be very strong. In terms of its delivery and language, Dessalines is very clear about what he wants, and how he plans to safeguard it. For example: “Our daggers are sharpened, your punishment is ready! Sixty thousand men, equipped, inured to war, obedient to my orders, burn to offer a new sacrifice to the names of their assassinated brothers. Let that nation come who may be mad or daring enough to attack me.” (Dessalines p.38). He states bluntly that he and his followers are willing to fight to the death to defend their land and avenge their fallen leader.

As for weak points about the argument, in my eyes there are none. Dessalines makes a good argument for freedom and the sovereignty of his people and the rights of man. Although this was published all over the world in various newspapers, and some stronger nations may find this a threat to their sovereignty and way of life. For example, this piece was published in the U.S. during a time when we still had slavery, which may have triggered more people to question the way of life in some parts of the country.

Looking back I definitely think that progress has been made. After this proclamation in 1803, many colonized nations became free and slavery was abolished all over the world. As for the sovereignty of Haiti, Dessalines legacy lives on, (although there have been some dictators in Haiti), the nation is free from colonization and a productive part of the global economy.

The Rights of Woman was written in 1791 during the French Revolution. Olympe De Gouges wrote it in response to the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen. She claimed that women and men should have the same rights. The revolution should not only give freedom and rights to the men but also have to protect the rights of women who were excluded from the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen.

Olympe De Gouges tried to urge the women to strive for their rights. She argued that women has been oppressed by the men and was excluded from the society. In the writing, she listed the responsibilities and rights that women should have. Also, Olympe De Gouges pointed out that women should be treated equally as men under the law. I think her writing is very emotional and powerful. She indicated the injustice that exist between men and women in the society and encourage women to fight for their rights. However I feel Olympe De Gouges was too radical. It seemed inevitable that she finally guillotined during the Reign of Terror. She tried to disparage the men in order to explain her ideas. She described men as “bizarre, blind, bloated with science and degenerated”. These insulting words definitely infuriate the men. It would be a bad influence on men’s view on equal rights for women.

I feel the problem of inequality between men and women is very severe in the society. Women did not have the right to vote. They cannot go to schools. All the profitable jobs were offered to men. Women can only get jobs with low salary or they might not be able to get a job paying any money. They would be mothers or wives. Their money was taken by their husbands. I think this is really unfair for the women. They had the ability to work but the government did not give them opportunities. All men wanted women to obey them absolutely. However, women had the right to do what they wanted. They should be independent. Society should give more opportunities to women. Women are not inferior to men. They are not their servants. Women can do things as well as men or sometimes better.

Olympe De Gouges’ The Rights of Woman was successful and influenced a lot of people. It was a big step towards gender equality. Women’s marriage, education, financial independence and legal rights have improved throughout history. Nowadays, everyone has a chance to go to school in most of countries. Women can go to college and get an education. Education is available for all people. Moreover, women are also able to seek different jobs in today’s society. They can get a job to financially support themselves instead of depending on men. Women can also choose not to get married and remain single for the rest of their lives if they wish. They do not have to rely on men and listen to their orders anymore.

Even though women have become more independent, some unfair treatment still exists in present days. Companies usually prefer to hire men instead of women. They still believe that men are more capable than women. Women have some disadvantages in the job competition because of their gender. Companies would rather hire men because women may get pregnant and the company needs to give women time to give birth and take care of the baby. President Obama just called for equal pay for women in 2014 since women only earned about 77 percent of men’s wages. Sexism is still rooted in people’s minds. In many countries, especially China and India, people still think that women should stay home and take care of their families. This feudal idea has dominated societies for centuries. People think a good wife should cook for her husband and children. Women should stay home and do all the housework. A virtuous wife’s job is to arrange everything in the house and wait for her husband to return from work. Even in the United States, women are still expected to do housework.

Women were considered to be inferior to men throughout history. They were portrayed as weak figures. However, women have gained more rights in today’s society. They now play a crucial role in society. Although inequality still exists between men and women, women are getting stronger and have become an indispensable part of society.

When I first looked at the titles on the content page, I knew I must choose “The Rights Of Woman” to be my topic. As a female, I would like to know more about how women had been treated in those centuries and would like to make a comparison of the former atmosphere and present’s. The author of the article, Olympe De Gouges, wrote to speak for women through bringing out the failure of the French Revolution.

We knew a lot from the history that women were treated so unfairly, harshly and were inferior to men in ancient times. Women were hired by the entrepreneurs as the cheapest labors during The Industrial Revolution. After the French Revolution, in 1791, Olympe De Gouges dared to challenge the male and wrote for women’s right. I like the way De Gouges wrote this article. She listed all the rights of woman and cleared the readers the rights that women should have had but they actually lost in the society. She asserted the revolution defeated the goal “to promote equal suffrage”. She used her own words to start a political rehabilitation for women. The contents of The Rights of Woman were about women should be equal as man entirely; women should be protected by the laws as the man do; women should have right to speak freely and have own thought; women should be acknowledged the rights they have; etc. De Gouges also wanted to wake the women up to fight for the rights because women in those year were used to be treated in an unfair way. She hoped and wished to change women’s social status.

As we could read on page 23 of the book, it tells us Olympe De Gouges was a playwright, intellectual and political activist. She born in 1748 with the name- Marie Gouzes. She experienced the period of early enlightenment and French Revolution. Owing to the unfairness of the society, she stepped first to write political pamphlets and to be the voice of women to fight for the rights.

Since I am a Hongkongese, I grew with in Hong Kong and learned eastern history. I am glad to have such a “superwoman”, like Olympe De Gouges, existed in the history. There must be someone to dare to stand out and speak for women, and she was the one! In my opinion, men are still superior to women in some eastern countries. I feel so thankful that Hong Kong has been taking lessons and influence d by western countries, so we can tell people we are capable to do a lot as men do. In these recent years, men would share chores with their wife, and this is another example showing the society is changing and improving. I want to remind myself that I am so fortune to born in this century since I own all the 17 rights that Gouges listed.

In the early centuries, there were no women dare to say, or I should say they have no right to say. Although Gouges might be arrested by writing politically, she did. However, it was a really tough time for women to speak, she couldn’t do much to maintain the writings.