Declaration of the Rights of Women vs. Rights of Man
This essay compares the 1789 French "Declaration of the Rights of Man" with Olympe de Gouges' 1791 "Declaration of the Rights of Women," examining how de Gouges extended Enlightenment ideals of natural freedom, reason, and the social contract to include women. The paper explores de Gouges' critique of marriage as a socially constructed institution, her radical proposal for communal property, and her rejection of distinctions based on birth legitimacy. It argues that while both documents share Enlightenment optimism about human perfectibility, de Gouges' declaration is the more radical text, and concludes by reflecting on the fate of revolutionary idealism after the French Revolution's descent into violence.
- Introduction: Enlightenment Ideals and the Rights of Man: Enlightenment basis of the 1789 Rights of Man
- De Gouges and the Extension of Natural Rights to Women: De Gouges extends natural rights to include women
- Reason, Religion, and the Rule of Law: Reason and rationality versus custom and religion
- Marriage, Property, and the Social Contract: Marriage critiqued; communal property proposed
- Illegitimacy and the Limits of Law: De Gouges condemns distinctions based on birth
- Conclusion: Enlightenment Optimism and Its Aftermath: Revolutionary idealism assessed against historical outcome
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What makes this paper effective
- The essay consistently places both primary texts in direct dialogue, quoting each document to highlight agreement, divergence, and radicalism — making the comparative argument concrete rather than abstract.
- The analysis moves logically from broad Enlightenment principles to increasingly specific issues (religion, marriage, property, illegitimacy), giving the argument a clear developmental arc.
- The conclusion situates both documents within the broader historical outcome of the French Revolution, adding critical perspective without abandoning the core comparison.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper models close textual comparison: the writer identifies a shared philosophical framework (Enlightenment optimism, natural rights, the social contract) and then precisely maps where de Gouges extends, radicalizes, or challenges the assumptions of the earlier document. Direct quotation is used not merely as illustration but as evidence for specific analytical claims about tone, scope, and intent.
Structure breakdown
The essay opens by summarizing the Enlightenment premise of the "Declaration of the Rights of Man," then introduces de Gouges as a figure who takes those premises to a more inclusive and radical conclusion. Subsequent paragraphs address religion and reason, marriage, communal property, and illegitimacy in turn. A brief conclusion reflects on the historical fate of revolutionary idealism, providing closure beyond the textual comparison.
Introduction: Enlightenment Ideals and the Rights of Man
Enlightenment thought posited that the human animal — defined as the male animal in the Declaration of the Rights of Man of 1789 — was inherently free in its natural state. Social laws and customs, however, hemmed most of humanity in and limited the freedom of the human potential for goodness. Limitations upon freedom were occasionally necessary for the common good, but more often limitations by law were placed upon persons to enrich the ruling classes for the profit of the minority. Thus, the Declaration of the Rights of Man held in Article 6: "All citizens, being equal in the eyes of the law, are equally eligible to all dignities and to all public positions and occupations, according to their abilities, and without distinction except that of their virtues and talents."
Many women, including many women of the French Revolution, took these ideas quite seriously. The word "citizens" in the Declaration of the Rights of Man was not read by many female citizens as referring merely to men, but to women as well. According to Olympe de Gouges in 1791, not only were women equally free in a state of nature as their male counterparts, but the original French Revolution had done little to benefit the female sex, despite considerable female support for the revolution and its underlying Enlightenment ideals.
Works Cited
De Gouges. "The Declaration of the Rights of Women." 1791. The Internet Modern History Sourcebook. http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/1791degouge1.html
"The Declaration of the Rights of Man." 1789. The Avalon Project.
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