Europe
How a Mother Survives
Madame Ducroquet wrote to her son in the spring of 1794 about the continuing shortage of food. She expressed her worries upon reading that someone with the same name had been arrested; in fact, it was her son, who went to the guillotine only a few weeks later.
Chaumette, Speech at City Hall Denouncing Women’s Political Activism (17 November 1793)
When a group of women appeared at City Hall wearing red liberty caps, Pierre–Gaspard Chaumette denounced them and all political activism by women. He held out the examples of Madame Roland and Olympe de Gouges as warnings.
The Trial of Olympe de Gouges
The case against Olympe de Gouges is worth reading in detail because it is typical of the attacks on those who criticized the authority of the central government that gathered force in the fall of 1793 and continued up to July 1794, when Robespierre fell from power.
Discussion of Women’s Political Clubs—Amar
In a follow–up to Fabre d’Eglantine’s speech on 29 October, Jean–Baptiste Amar proposed an official decree on 3 October forbidding women to join together in political associations.
Guyomar, "The Partisan of Political Equality between Individuals" (April 1793)
Pierre Guyomar wrote the pamphlet excerpted here during the war–torn and hungry spring of 1793, at the height of popular political mobilization that restated arguments made by Condorcet three years earlier.
Discussion of Citizenship under the Proposed New Constitution (29 April 1793)
In the discussion of a new constitution in April 1793, Jean–Denis Lanjuinais spoke for the constitutional committee. He admitted that the question of women’s rights had aroused controversy.
Prudhomme, "On the Influence of the Revolution on Women" (12 February 1791)
Louis–Marie Prudhomme founded the Révolutions of Paris, one of the best–known radical newspapers of the French Revolution. In this editorial, he responds to women’s criticisms of the Revolution and outlines a theory of women’s "natural" domesticity.
Account of a Session of the Society of Revolutionary Republican Women
Unfortunately the only first-hand account of the meetings of the women’s club comes from notes taken by Pierre–Joseph–Alexis Roussel, published in a volume of memoirs in 1802. His account makes fun of the women’s club for discussing the virtues of women as warriors and administrators.
Regulations of the Society of Revolutionary Republican Women (9 July 1793)
The regulations demonstrate that women wanted to be taken seriously as political participants; they wanted their club to be like the clubs set up by men.
Police Reports on Disturbances over Food Supplies (February 1793)
The reports of the Paris police provide firsthand information about conditions in the city and about the leading role of women in food disturbances.