RESEARCH & MEDIA

Works Cited

MLA-style citations. Accessed 2 Oct. 2026. Primary sources are documents created during the Revolution; secondary sources explain and interpret historical evidence.

1. “Discussion of Women’s Political Clubs—Amar.” Liberty, Equality, Fraternity: Exploring the French Revolution, George Mason University, revolution.chnm.org/exhibits/show/liberty--equality--fraternity/item/376. Accessed 2 Oct. 2026. Primary-source debate and decree, 30 Oct. 1793.
2. “Olympe de Gouges, The Declaration of the Rights of Woman (September 1791).” Liberty, Equality, Fraternity: Exploring the French Revolution, George Mason University, revolution.chnm.org/items/show/557. Accessed 2 Oct. 2026. Primary source in English translation.
3. “Déclaration des droits de la femme et de la citoyenne.” Assemblée nationale, 5 Sept. 1791, www.assemblee-nationale.fr/dyn/histoire-et-patrimoine/revolution-francaise/declaration-des-droits-de-la-femme-et-de-la-citoyenne-olympe-de-gouges. Accessed 2 Oct. 2026. Primary source in French.
4. “Versailles at the Heart of the French Revolution.” Palace of Versailles, en.chateauversailles.fr/discover/history/key-dates/versailles-heart-french-revolution. Accessed 2 Oct. 2026. Secondary source on the October 1789 march.
5. “Women of the Enlightenment: Olympe de Gouges.” YouTube, uploaded by Sorbonne Université, 20 Mar. 2025, www.youtube.com/watch?v=KroFVOdbfgE. Accessed 2 Oct. 2026. Video.

How to use the evidence

The core claim—that women participated in revolutionary politics but did not gain equal political rights—is an interpretation supported by the 1789 events, de Gouges’s 1791 declaration, and the 1793 ban on women’s clubs. The discussion of the 1789 declaration and 1793 decree uses translated primary documents. The Versailles history page and Sorbonne video are secondary sources.

The audio narration is original to this exhibit and read aloud by your browser.