At the time of the French Revolution in 1789, philosophers such as Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Mary Wollstonecraft were advocating equality in many areas of life, including education. Some favored expanding educational opportunities for women and the lower classes, convinced that access to education was a universal right. Others, however, wanted to limit this access, believing that education was an exclusive entitlement of wealthy men.

You will be assigned topics that reflect the debate over access to education in Revolutionary France. Use what you have learned to prepare for a panel discussion on whether women and the lower classes should be afforded an education. To prepare for the discussion, you will research the attitudes and beliefs about gender and class in 18th century France.

Look at the engraving below. Answer the following questions on a separate sheet of paper.

This 18th-century engraving portrays newspaper readers in Revolutionary France.

• Why do you think women are shown in the background?
• What class of people seem to be reading newspapers? How can you tell?
• What does this tell you about education during the Revolution?

Use the Daily Life through History articles listed on the right to research the social, political, and economic conditions in Revolutionary France that made access to education an issue of gender and class. Examine the Timeline. As you read, keep your assigned topic in mind. Remember to note specific facts that support your opinion, as well as historical examples.

Use the Main Idea and Details Chart to organize your information. Write your topic in the large rectangle. Fill in the remaining boxes with details that support your argument for or against universal access to education, including issues of economics, equal rights, and societal expectations.

Choose a member of your group to present your group’s findings in the panel discussion. Panel participants will have 5 minutes to present their group’s research. Your teacher will then act as a moderator as panelists discuss the similarities and differences in their research.

Audience members may ask questions or make comments after the initial presentations and discussion by panelists.

Your teacher will use these questions to assess your performance:

• Did your group present the assigned topic in a focused, organized way?
• Did your group include relevant details to support their ideas?
• Did you actively participate in your group’s research?
• Did you take part in the discussion, either as a panel participant or an audience member?