Primary Source Analysis: the French Revolution and Human Rights

Perhaps one of the most unique eras in existence history was the paradise, a time period in which intellectuals like Voltaire, go Smith and Denis Diderot Observed with unprecedented acuity the evils and flaws of human beings union in their day (Tignor, Adelman, Aron, Kotkin, March and, and, 621) and sought to modification the worldview of their generation both socially and govern handstally. Those intellectuals believed that by sharing an aspiration to spread association, human judgments could resist ignorance. Today, the ideals of those heaven thinkers dupe become the foundation of many, if not all human societies.The judiciousness had a extensive impact on the world, especially on Europeans who were universal to grizzly practices of fixed social hierarchies, in which the king held absolute power. The knowledge gained from this intellectual movement brought about many changes in society. Minority groups such(prenominal) as women gained confidence in their own worthine ssto create art, to save books, to observe the world accurately, and perhaps even rule their states (Tignor, Adelman, Aron, Kotkin, Marchand, and, 619). The Enlightenment as well as paved the way for a newer approach towards the notion of human rights. forgiving beings were granted certain some body rights known as their natural rights that was of all time convenient by law. Before the French Revolution, European cultures were restricted by two major institutions the Catholic and Protestant churches and the dynastic court systems (Tignor, Adelman, Aron, Kotkin, Marchand, 617) where individual rights were given based on social ranks. The Enlightenment influenced the concept of human rights in France in that society had a better awareness of their world, which contributed to the government issue of cultural ambitions such as women forming policy-making clubs to debate for social and political equality.Traditional governing ideas were gradually replaced by new governing visions to encourage the natural rights of citizens over the kings authority. For instance, prior traditional Christian belief in original sin and Gods underground tamperings with natural forces and human events (Tignor, Adelman, Aron, Kotkin, Marchand, 617) were abandoned. The closure of the Rights of valet de chambre and Citizens was also established, which helped changed the social and political structure of the country.Additionally, and perhaps the most influence the Enlightenment had on the concept of human rights in France was that it provided freedom of religion, freedom of the press, no taxation without representation, exclusion of excessive punishments, and various safeguards against arbitrary administration (Hunt, 77). Having been greatly influenced by the American War of Independence, French officers who served in North America arrived home shoot by the ideals of liberty that they saw in action in the brisk World (Hunt, 13).French deputies met in 1789 with constitutional ide als adopted from Americans like doubting Thomas Jefferson and George Mason, establishing the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizens in an effort to drive the ideas of rights and liberties in a more than universalistic precaution (Hunt, 13). A more Universalistic direction basically meant replacing ideals of the old order with knowledge gained from the Enlightenment. The Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizens empowered all French citizens with protected liberties and granted all men equality under the law.It also declared that the basis of all sovereignty rests most importantly in the nation. Additionally, the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizens not exactly grant these rights, but trumpeted individual rights, the principle of equality and connected more closely the concept of the people with the nation (Tignor, Adelman, Aron, Kotkin, Marchand, 647). It is obvious that the document had great significance. Prior to the declaration, political and social situa tions raised questions that were often left unanswered, normally sparking tensions between government and society.Frances government was based on the old order, a monarchy system in which feudalism was practiced and aristocratic value were vital. Under such system, legitimacy depended on the kings go absent and maintenance of a historic order that granted privileges according to ranks and location (Hunt, 15). The Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizens granted all people of the French society equality under the law, yet the content of those true, inalienable natural rights of valet remained undefined (Hunt, 6).Several national assemblies were held, but not one of them acknowledge womens political rights. Rather, all of those assemblies dodged granting women equal political rights. Women were still nix the rights to meet as a group, draft grievances, or vote (Hunt, 60). As a result, women, influenced by the declaration, debated for specific rights when they saw the openin g created by the throng of the Estates General and hoped to make their claims for inclusion in the promised reform (Hunt, 60). Between 1790 and 1791, members of a group called Cercle Social, formed by agitated omen, trended for equal political rights. Their campaign exposed discrimination against women that denied them equal rights in marriage and education. In that very(prenominal) year (1791), female activist Marie Olympe De Gouges issued the Declaration of the Rights of women in an effort to probe that women had been excluded from the promises of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizens. In her declaration, she requested that The law should be the general will. All citizenesses and citizens should take partin its formation. It must be the kindred for everyone.All citizenesses and citizens, being equal in its eyes, should be equally allowable to all in the public eye(predicate) dignities, offices and employments (Hunt, 27). She argued that women and men were born e qual in rights. Therefore, women should have all those rights that a man enjoys such as holding public offices. However, all of these actions of the Parisian women soon increased the National Conventions negativity towards women and their rights. From October 29-30, 1793, the National Convention held a discussion about womens political clubs and abolished all womens clubs.They claimed that women were hardly capable of lofty conceptions and cogitations because their body and social role made them unsuited for public affairs (Hunt, 29). Yet, they matt-up threatened by womens organized political activities. The Age of Enlightenment significantly changed the fundamentals of European cultures, and French society during the eighteenth century. It took them away from their rituals of the old regime where government was dominated by monarchy. It formulated ideas on how the churches and the dynastic court systems could be reformed.The Enlightenment also influenced the establishment of the De claration of the Rights of Man and Citizens. However, fundamental questions about rights especially that of women, remained unanswered. The declaration did little to change the inferior status of women. None of the national assemblies ever considered legislation granting political rights to women (who could neither vote nor hold office), and on a few make on which the possibility arose, however tentatively, the deputies greeted it with widespread derision and incredulity (Hunt, 27).