After the American and French Revolutions, there were many attempts at political reform, starting with the United States Declaration of Independence in 1776 and the French Revolution in 1789. These include freedom from slavery, right of self-determination, freedom of religion, and freedom of expression. But what about the rights of women?
After the French Revolution, there were many attempts to give women full citizenship rights. In 1791, the French National Assembly decreed that women had the same legal status as men. In 1793, the Constitution of the Year VIII granted full political rights to women. But these reforms did not go far enough for women like Olympe de Gourgues, whose feminist writings led to the Declaration of the Rights and Duties of Woman and the Female Citizens, written by Mary Wollstonecraft in 1792. She called for the abolition of prostitution, the end of domestic servitude, and for women to be allowed to vote. In Britain, Mary Shelley wrote A Vindication of Natural Liberty, advocating equal rights for both sexes.
Another eminent couple that advocated equal rights for women were Harriet Taylor and John Stuart Mill. As Mill regarded Harriet to be an intellectual equal, he believed that women should have equal rights with men. He also believed that women should be educated just like men, and encouraged them to become active members of society. Mill wrote the book “The Subjection of Women” in response to Harriet Taylor’s ideas and advocacy. In it, he advocated for women’s rights, including the right to vote. Mill was the first man to advocate for women’s suffrage and is considered by many to be the father of modern feminism.
