Women's Rights
Uploaded by Gotskillz on Jun 19, 2004
Women’s Rights
Throughout the 1300’s to early 1700’s, women fought for an education through literature and campaigns. However, the majority of men during the Renaissance era discredited the theory that claimed women could and should receive an education. As centuries advanced, the mainstream of men’s perspectives progressively shifted.
During the early 1500’s to the mid 1500’s the opinions of men regarding this topic were very firm. For example, Castiglione, an intellectual man of royal blood strongly believed that women were capable of accomplishing the same things as men. He expressed his believes in court, in front of nobility. Castiglione’s purpose was to inform the decision makers of the society that everyone needs an education regardless of sex. However, Erasmus, another man of nobility discredited the thought that women should receive an education through speeches and books. Erasmus had rigid ideas as did Louise Labe, a French Poet who demonstrated her opinions in a letter to a Pen Pal. She claims that women are surely competent enough to be educated. Clearly, the opinions regarding women’s rights during this time period were all firm believes.
Throughout the 1500’s to early 1600’s, the views of the men and women of the European society drastically changed. The views were not as firm as they once had been and the ideas became much more Diverse. Martin Luther, writer of Table Talk, Distinctly declared that a woman’s body was built to stay at home while men’s stature was made for learning. Edmund Auger also discredited women by claiming that they could never facilitate a man’s job. Unlike those who simply stated that women shouldn’t receive an education, Theodore Agrippa D Aubigne thought women could learn, but it would not be wise for them to do so. Still, women like Marie Dentiere believed that women should learn to read and write so that they can express themselves when God speaks to them. Another royal man known as Roger Ascham, teacher and advisor of Queen Elizabeth I, seemed to think that only noble Women could learn. The perspectives during this time were certainly different from those of early years.
During the later years of the 1600’s to early 1700’s, the ideas regarding women’s place in society change once again. The ideas during this time period were similar to those during the early 1500’s to mid 1500’s. John Milton, a Priest was once heard at church preaching that only men need...