Mary wollstonecraft ap world history

Authored by Linda Rodriguez


This week I was inspired by a lesson that I observed our colleague Gracie Bellnap do with her AP Bio class: speed dating!



Our AP World History class is studying The Atlantic Revolutions (American, French, Haitian, Latin American) and, to shake things up a bit, I tasked them to research characters from the Atlantic Revolutions – thinkers, leaders, and revolutionaries who shaped the course of history.  From the fiery ideals of Toussaint Louverture to the political prowess of Simon Bolivar, each student quickly became an expert on their chosen historical figure. (They had about 30 minutes to research 12 questions about government, society, law, and gender relations for their character). 

Once the activity started, the classroom was transformed into a historical matchmaking arena. Students took on the personas of their chosen characters, armed with facts, quotes, and a few character specific pick-up lines. The clock started and the speed dating began. Each “character” had three minutes to introduce themselves, share their philosophies, and gauge their compatibility with their fellow revolutionaries.



The atmosphere was electric as stu


Women were pushed to the sidelines as dependents of men for hundreds of centuries. Women couldn’t vote, own property, or make contracts. Women were only seen as a way of enhancing the social status of a man. Most women worked as domestic servants rather than doctors or architects. It was until 1788, that Mary Wollstonecraft, from London, became one of the worlds first advocate for women’s rights. She published A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, one of the first works of feminism. It argued that the educational system of her time deliberately trained women to be incapable. She thought of an educational system that allowed girls the same advantages as boys and it would result in women who would be not only exceptional wives and mothers but also capable workers in many professions. Mary’s work was unique in suggesting that the betterment of women’s status be effected through political change as the reform of national educational systems. Such change would benefit all society. This book brung much controversy, but didn’t bring and reforms until the mid 1800s. Women in the U.S began to join the paid work force, and to seek higher education. Early women’s ri

AP World 5.1 - The Enlightenment


Historical Developments

The rise and diffusion of Enlightenment thought that questioned established traditions in all areas of life often preceded revolutions and rebellions against existing governments. Enlightenment philosophers applied new ways of understanding and empiricist approaches to both the natural world and human relationships, encouraging observation and inference in all spheres of life; they also reexamined the role that religion played in public life, insisting on the importance of reason as opposed to revelation. Other Enlightenment philosophers developed new political ideas about the individual,
natural rights
, and the
social contract
.

Enlightenment Terms



General Will
is a term popularized by the 18th-century French political philosopher Jean Jacques Rousseau. 

In his book
The Social Contract
(1762), Rousseau defines the
general will
(
volonté générale
) as the civic impulses of citizens seeking to pursue the common good within their community. 

He contrasts the general will with the
particular will
of individuals seeking only their personal good. 

Rousseau argues that the general will of the people, not the i

Gender 1750 to 1900


After the French Legislative Assembly declared war on Austria on April 20th, 1792, many Frenchwomen immediately began to campaign to be allowed to serve in the military. These women were led by the French social activist Pauline Léon, who personally authored a petition to the Legislative Assembly, seeking official permission to serve as soldiers fighting in defense of the Revolution. A stirring and fiery writer, Léon urged her fellow women to prove their worth by becoming soldiers or members of the National Guard. Léon was not alone in her desire; many Frenchwomen joined her campaign, writing passionate entreaties to the Assembly. But in spite of their requests, in 1793 the Assembly passed an official ban on women’s military service (most men disapproved of, or were outright skeptical, of women’s martial abilities). However, several women managed to infiltrate the ranks and fight in their country’s defense in defiance of the prohibition.