Northern Valley Regional High School at Demarest Women of the Revolution. Olympe de Gouges Juana Inés de la Cruz Marie-Claire Heureuse Sean Lee AP World History Mrs. Bell April 8, 2024. The late 18th and early 19th centuries are forever marked in history by their permanent changes in society. France, Haiti, and Latin America gained freedom from oppressive governments and for the first time, attempted to create equal rights for all citizens. Thousands of lives were lost and thousands more fought their hardest for the sake of liberty. Hypocritically, many groups are still marginalized and penalized for expressing their aspirations for extending this new freedom to their own groups, such as women. Many women valiantly tried to fight back against the …show more content…
A second revolution of feminist literature and the taking on of professions once considered only acceptable for men to work was the catalyst to a long, hard fight for gender equality. Of these ‘second revolutionists’, Olympe de Gouges, Marie Claire Heureuse Bonheur, and Juana Inés de la Cruz stand out as women who, through their literature and actions, promoted feminist ideals. Despite their many differences, such as nation of origin, occupation, and the differences in how they impacted feminism and their respective revolutions, Olympe de Gouges, Marie Claire Heureuse Bonheur, and Juana Inés de la Cruz all took on roles in society that were considered unprecedented territory for women, in which they inspired feminist activism, became active in the politics or humanitarian aid of their revolutions, or served as models for women desiring to have more autonomy over their lives. Olympe de Gouges was a clear feminist, who directly took on the challenge of sexism during the French revolution. Working-class France, having just recently achieved ‘liberty’ against the oppressive monarchy and estate system, created “The Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen”. The relationship between Gouges and