The Declaration Of The Rights Of Woman And Bell Hook's Sisterhood Is Still Powerful

Feminism is the advocacy of women's rights on the basis of the equality of the sexes. Throughout history, many very influential women have contributed to the rise of the feminist movement and distinguished what it meant to be a feminist. It is very important to recognize that the goals of feminism have changed vastly over time. We see this in the documents written by Olympe de Gouges in France, 1791, who some recognize as the world’s first feminist, and bell hooks in the United States in 2000, who is known for her feminist theory focused on intersectionality. The goals of feminism have changed over time, which can be seen in Olympe de Gouges's Declaration of the Rights of Woman, and bell hook’s Sisterhood is Still Powerful.

Olympe de Gouges’s

Olympe de Gouges's Declaration of the Rights of Woman was written during the French Revolution when women were not given the same legal rights as men. bell hooks’s Sisterhood is Still Powerful was written during the second wave of feminism in the United States and was heavily influenced by the Civil Rights movement. Though being written in two very different times and places, both have a similar idea of sexism and women empowerment. Both documents encourage women to fight for their rights against their oppressors. De Gouges challenged patriarchal norms and brought together hundreds of women to join the fight for change. Similar to De Gouges, hooks put emphasis on the want for equality but also shined light on an important issue within feminism. hooks wanted to make sure that feminism included all women of any race and class. She discusses that sisterhood meant that ALL women were to support one another rather than seeing one certain group as superior because historically, some women of color were left out of the movement. De Gouges never directly mentions any of these issues but rather focused on more political issues like allowing women to vote or owning property. These documents reflect the significant goals that have changed since the French Revolution in 1791 to the second wave of feminism in the 60s to modern day in the twenty first