Rights of Women (Concept Blog #2)

     There are many aspects of the Enlightenment that have influenced modern life today. One aspect that really sticks out to me is women during the Enlightenment. Today, when have just as many rights as men do. We can vote, go to school, work anywhere, and even hold political standings. Before the Enlightenment era, these things were un-thought of. The Enlightenment helped pave the way for women to be where they are today.
     It has not been an easy battle for women to be where they are today. Although the Enlightenment did not give women much, it did give women opportunity to speak up and fight for the women's rights movement . It was only about 50 years later until women were holding conventions for their rights.



       One women that really stands out from the Enlightenment was Olympe De Gouges. She was a very smart women, who in a way was one of the first women to really take a physical stand towards women's rights. "As many feminists have done since, de Gouges both asserted woman's capability to reason and make moral decisions, and pointed to the feminine virtues of emotion and feeling" (Lewis). She stood strong to what she believed in, and wouldn't back down, even if it meant execution.

     This brilliant woman just wanted women to open their eyes and see that they were equal to men. In response to the Declaration of the Rights of Man, Olympe De Gouges created the Declaration of the Rights of Woman. Creating something like this was shocking for people at the time, especially since she was female. She created this because the Declaration of the Rights of Man "did not address the political and social restrictions confronting women in the French state" (Rogers 82). In this declaration, she demanded freedoms to women such as education, voting, and more. She is much like the women in the following generations that fought for equality, and eventually, women's rights.

    It is hard for women today to understand just how hard it was for women back then. In a way, we take for granted what women fought so hard for in the past. Women like Olympe have really shaped the world we live in today. If it was not for women like Olympe De Gouges, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Susan B. Anthony, we might have never made the first steps for the rights we have today. their voices inspired women to join the movement, and speak up for themselves.

     I believe that women will always have their rights from now on. This idea has persisted for centuries, and will continue to persist in the modern world and generations later. Women from the past fought for a world that we live in today. I am sure that if Olympe De Gouges could see the equality women have now thanks to people like her, she would be very proud. It is amazing to know that women made it their life to create equality between men and women, even if it cost them their lives. They are true heroines, and should always be remembered from time to time. We women today live the ideal life thanks to them.