R818

Diffusion of new intellectual concepts among different social groups

Mary Wollstonecraft’s //Vindication of the Rights of Women// 1790

Mary Wollstonecraft was a determined woman to break away from the traditional thought of women being restricted to work at home. She struggled to be a governess and teacher before deciding to become an author and translator. When Edmund Burke published his //Reflections on the Revolution in France// she attacked with her //Vindication of the Rights of Man.// However she then made a daring jump and published her other work, //Vindication of the Rights of Women.// This text was published then to take full advantage of the French Revolution in order to eliminate sexual discrimination. She set high standards for women and showed that women were just as important as men. She also gave the idea that both men and women were corrupt and that they exist to improve each other. This text gave women a new position in society and allowed them to gain more status. Works cited: McKay, John, Bennett Hill, and John Buckler. A History of Western Society. 7th ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2003.