Political Revolution Dbq

The language of political revolutions has guided other groups in their movement toward change. Documents of political revolution such as The Declaration of Independence and The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen have had a major influence on the women’s rights campaign and documents written in support of their cause. The documents are similar in language, organization, and overall idea of laws that should be enforced in society. Although these documents were written in different times and places, they emphasized the desire for a government that would help groups gain representation. The women’s rights campaign have adapted these documents to further their cause in their movement toward representation. The Declaration of …show more content…
The French Revolution was caused by incredibly unjust taxes, feudal remnants, and mercantilism. The General Estate was a medieval advisory body to the king that was created because of the crisis in France which paralyzed the voting system. The Estates General consisted of three estates; the clergy, the nobles and the commoners. The third estate was granted double representation in voting, which was changed on May 5th when they were informed that all voting would be done by power and not by head. Following this change, the third estate broke away because of their desire for equal representation. They began to meet amongst themselves, and were later joined by some of the nobles and clergy, eventually forming the National Assembly. The National Assembly petitioned King Louis XVI for rights of the citizens of France through The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, approved by the National Assembly on August 26, 1789. The goal of this document was to modify the French government to a constitutional monarchy instead of an absolute monarchy, which gave an elected assembly the ability to share power with the king. The National assembly abolished feudal remnants, mercantilism, and imposed new taxes leading to the confiscation and selling of church land. Although the King restricted the document from becoming an …show more content…
She stated that The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen excluded the rights of women. During the French Revolution, elections consisted of active and passive citizens. Active citizens had the right to vote, while passive citizens paid taxes but didn’t have the right to vote. Women fell under the passive citizens, which inspired Olymoe de Gouges to write The Declaration of the Rights of Woman and Citizen. The Declaration of the Rights of Woman and Citizen used The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen as a model, taking the words of the original document and manifesting them into a cry for women’s equality. Principle ten in The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen states “no one if to be disquieted because of his opinions, even religious, provided their manifestation does not disturb the public order established by law” (95). In article X, Olympe de Gouges changed this principle to include “since a woman has the right to mount the scaffold, she must also have the right to mount the tribune, provided her interventions do not disturb the public order as it has been established by law” (96). This change expressed that if women can be executed, they should also have the ability to be involved in politics and be able to run for office without disturbing public order. Principle eleven in The