The French and American revolutions, while both being revolutions, were very different in their intent and outcome. Friedrich Gentz illustrates this in his book ‘The Origin and principles of the American Revolution Compared With the Origin and Principles of the French Revolution.’ Friedrich Gentzs’ book draws on ideas from Edmund Burke, an 18th-century English politician, who predicted some of the outcomes of the french revolution while it was still in its infancy. One major difference between the two revolutions is that Americans wanted to defend their traditional rights which England had been invading, whereas the french revolution had no stopping point. The french revolution was based upon dismantling old traditions and institutions and making completely new ones. This is dangerous and also lacks humility, as you think that your one brain thinking for a while is going to come up with a better society than the thousands of years of gradual change and experimentation. Another difference is that while in the American revolution there may have been mobs that carried out violence against loyalists, there was not the widespread government-sanctioned violence against perceived opponents of the revolution that was seen in France. These make up some of the major differences between the American and French revolutions.
Mary Wollstonecraft was a full-time writer in the 18th century, publishing for many different newspapers and publishers. However, she is most known for her book ‘A Vindication of the Rights of Woman,’ written in 1792. In this work, she discusses the need for women to be educated and that men and women should use the same curriculum and even the same or similar athletics. She stated that women of her day were prone mostly to trivial things such as gossip and clothes, which further illustrated the need for their education. Wollstonecraft said that while most women would be in the home being wives and mothers, those of a, “Higher cast” should be able to have the opportunity to do things such as run a farm or shop, be a doctor, or be involved in politics. Relationships between women and men should be based on mutual respect, not the man lording his higher intelligence over the woman. In Wollstonecraft’s book, you can see the flavor of modern feminism, which Mary has certainly influenced.