France and the rest of Europe experienced significant changes in the age of the French Revolution in the 18th century. The assertion stems from the fact that it marked a dawn of new liberal ideas, which is evident in “ The Declaration of the Rights of Man, 1789.” This 1789 document emphasized universal rights and citizenship. Similar sentiments are evident in “Olympe de Gouges’ Declaration of the Rights of Women, a 1791” document that also agitates for rights, especially women’s rights, and challenges gender norms. However, the two papers provide diverse perspectives on rights, although they emanate from revolutionary fervor. Therefore, this analytical paper analyzes and compares the two historical documents to illustrate the unique perspectives about “rights.”
Analysis
The writers of the Declaration document expected to establish individual liberties and a legal and constitutional framework that challenged the existing power structure. For example, the document points out that ” Men are born and remain free and equal in rights,” a declaration that calls for individual liberties. Thus, this document’s idea of “rights” is inclined towards universal rights enshrined for every human being. For example, the document spells out rights such as individual liberty, security, property, and freedom from oppressive regimes. The Assembly’s view about the status of personal property is that it is an inviolable and sacred right. The Assembly thus argues that no one should be denied such a right except when it is legally determined to deny it. However, the document omits women’s rights, as emphasized in Olympe de Gouges’ Declaration of the Rights of Women document. The idea of rights in the Declaration of the Rights document generally emphasizes individual freedom and citizenship as underscored within a constitutional framework. The principle of sovereignty in the Declaration document resides solely in the nation.. Thus, the document suggests that all authority and the idea of “rights” should be exercised as it proceeds directly from the nation.
In contrast, Olympe de Gouges’ Declaration of the Rights of Women focuses on challenging some of the inferiority perceptions of women evident in the Declaration of the Rights of Man document. De Gouges argues for the rights of women based on fundamental principles of equity, active participation, and natural rights.. For example, Gouges suggests that ” Having become free, he has become unjust to his companion,” implying that the principle of the French Declaration had made man accessible. Therefore, the idea of “rights” in De Gouges’s document is unique from those in the Declaration because her idea revolves around women’s rights and gender equality. Further, de Gouges seems most interested in rights related to women’s property ownership, education, and political participation.
The Declaration of the Rights documents speak more about the individual rights of man and the citizen. The assertion stems from the fact that the document was revolutionary, especially in challenging the oppressive structure of the old regime.. Further, the Declaration reflects various grievances against the old regime, such as arbitrary rule, religious orthodoxy, and social inequities. The Declaration document states, “The law shall provide for such punishments only as are strictly and necessary, and no one shall suffer punishment except it is legally inflicted in virtue of a law passed and promulgated before the commission of the offense.” The above Declaration portrays grievances raised about the old regime’s arbitrary rule. Unlike De Gouges’ document, the document on the Declaration of Rights propagates individual rights, focusing on collective rights, especially women’s rights. The rights of men and women are quite different based on the provisions in the two documents. For example, the fundamental idea behind women’s rights is to challenge gender bias and exclusion of women.. The idea is gender-neutral because it calls upon protecting both men’s and women’s rights. However, the idea behind the rights of men seems to silence women’s rights. Nonetheless, men’s and women’s rights align in agitating for equality before the law and the inherent rights of both sexes.
In the “modern” sense, de Gouges decision to agitate for equal rights for both men and women would have made her a feminist. For example, de Gouges’ Declaration discusses collective rights such as gender equality, representation, and legal protection for both sexes, emphasizing women. Thus, de Gouges can be considered a feminist in the modern sense because feminism is more about advocating for the equality of the sexes, an aspect evident in Olympe de Gouges’ Declaration of the Rights of Women document.. Therefore, de Gouges’ document focuses on collective rights by underscoring the need for women’s inclusion and gender parity. At the same time, the latter speaks more about individual rights in the context of national sovereignty and citizenship.
The idea of “rights” also aligns in both documents because they share common perspectives about inherent rights grounded in natural reason and law. Through the Declaration of the Rights, the Assembly states that “ The aim of all political association is the preservation of man’s natural and imprescriptible rights.” The document further discusses citizens’ natural and inalienable rights, which protect their freedom and equality, political liberty and law, and legal protection. The latter also points out that women are born free and live equal to men in her rights sentiments almost similar to those presented in the Declaration document. The two statements show that the papers align in challenging hierarchical structures in line with grounds for debate within the Declaration. De Gouges’ Declaration further demonstrates the significance of advocacy and activism in agitating for the agency of marginalized people. For example, the document emphasizes the importance of women’s agency in playing a critical role in shaping their destinies.. Thus, the two documents’ shared understanding of “rights” revolves around the call for expanding rights to marginalized groups, even though the calls differ in context.
The idea about ” rights’ ‘ expressed in the two documents significantly impacted the historical development of “the West. The assertion stems from the papers emphasizing inherent rights enshrined to all people.. The ideas about rights in the document concerning the Declaration of the Rights of Man triggered profound impacts on social movements that followed. For example, these ideas paved the way for Olympe de Gouges’s activism on women’s rights through her Declaration. The historical context of rights in the Declaration played a significant role in shaping Gouges’s understanding of rights, forcing her to agitate for women’s rights..
The ideas about rights of the two documents also had immense impacts on legal systems and global human rights discourse because they emphasized both collective and individual rights inherent to all human beings. Thus, the ideas generally laid the foundation for future struggles for justice and equality that later shaped the historical development of the West and beyond. Further, it is essential to point out that the French Revolution was the primary historical context that shaped each writer’s understanding of “rights.” The claim revolves around each document reflecting the prevailing social, political, and intellectual understanding of rights. The Declaration document faced challenges and contradictions despite laying the framework for legal reforms and adopting a constitutional government. Most of these challenges emerged from its failure to address the rights of marginalized groups such as women, which led to continuous struggles. Conversely, De Gouges’ Declaration of the Rights of Women successfully affected change in the long term because it paved the way for future advocacy for women’s rights in Europe..
Conclusion
The history of ” rights” discourse in Europe is quite a complex and multifaceted topic that dates back to the French Revolution. The revolution ushered in a new era of liberal ideas, evident in the Declaration of the Rights of Man, which challenged old regimes. The Declaration documents also provided a framework later utilized by Olympe de Gouges, calling for women’s rights. The two papers provide a clear framework for some of the complexities of rights discourse. However, it is also imperative that the Declaration document emphasizes individual rights and citizenship while Gouges’s document focuses on challenging gender inequality. Therefore, the analytics of the two papers provide precise details applicable to understanding ongoing struggles for justice and equality worldwide.
Bibliography
Fordham University. “Olympe de Gouge: Declaration of Women’s Rights, 1791.” Accessed February 27, 2024. https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/mod/1791degouge1.asp
History 11. “Primary Source Document Analysis: Claiming “rights.”
Yale Law School. “Declaration of the Rights of Man, 1789.” August 26, 1789. Accessed February 27, 2024. https://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/rightsof.asp.
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