Concept Blog 2

I begin my blog by saying there are certain women in history who have made me proud to be a women. Today women are allowed to vote, drive, teach, go to school, buy a house, work, choose who they marry, and are equal with men, although there are women in most countries, still struggling for their freedom.  There was a time in history that all the choices we have now (and take for granted) were not part of the woman's benefits. Imagine struggling to bite your tongue when it was time to vote, or if you are too tired to wash the dishes and laundry, it would not get done. Thank goodness there were women that took a stand, even though some were executed, they changed our lives today.

 There was one women who began the battle for women in the 1700's, she was very vocal about her feelings and wanted the other women to open their eyes.  Her name was Olympe de Gouges the name she was born with was Marie Gouzes, a playwright, political activist, and a  pamphleteer, took her chance at making changes with woman's rights. When the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen (Aug. 1789), was written, it was to be a prelude of the French constitution, which had not been written yet.  Olympe was dissatisfied, because the men did not address the political and social limitations women were facing in the French state.  She began her battle by portraying the revolutionary administrators as selfish bigots, and demanded fair rights also for women so they can be educated, and do whatever the men had rights to do. She continued her battle by writing a pamphlet  to the Queen Marie Antoinette the wife of King Louis XVI.  The letter states ".........When the whole empire accused you and held you responsible for its calamities, I alone had the strength to take up your defenses....This revolution will happen only when all women are aware of their deplorable fate, and the rights they have lost in society. "De Gouges's devotion to the cause of woman's rights led to her being charged with treason under the rule of the National Convention. She was arrested, tried, and later, in November of 1793, executed by the guillotine.

 

Declaration of the Rights of Woman  written by Olympe De Gouge had received attention from the Society of Revolutionary Republican Women, with their power and many complaints sent to the Convention (government) they were able to get the Convention to reevaluate Woman's rights. 

I am very interested in Women Rights and to compliment the women of the 1700's, I now move on to our rights as women today. It is very hard to picture not having rights, I am grateful those strong willed women who stepped up and had their voices heard.  The first women who began fighting for woman's rights was Elizabeth Cady Stanton in 1848, her and Lucretia Mott  formed the "First Women's Rights Convention" at Seneca Falls, New York. 

 

From there our rights as women continues yet today, several women have wreck havoc with the government making sure women have a voice like Susan B. Anthony, and  Nellie McClung, only to name a few. Our rights to vote, gives us a voice in the government, there are certain jobs only men were allowed to do and now the military is another right for women. The list continues with each year there are people protesting for their rights, and not just women. Times have changed with each passing moment, women can be astronauts, teachers, soldiers, scientist, fire women, nurses, doctors, engineers, auto mechanics, and the list continues.

Women have come a long way from being dominated by men who had all the control in a marriage, and politics, we are now equal in a marriage, free to express our own opinion politically, and stand up for women's rights. Our daughters/grandchildren have no idea how privileged they are to vote, work, and go to school. It is up to us to share the history of the women's with them.