Understand issues surrounding the education of women and members of the lower classes in Revolutionary France; identify conflicting ideas about equality; interpret visual information.

The French Revolution began in 1789 when the Estates-General (a coalition of commoners, clergy, and nobility) forced King Louis XVI to recognize a National Assembly and accept a constitutional monarchy similar to that of England. English influence on the Revolution extended beyond the political sphere. The ideas of Enlightenment thinkers such as Isaac Newton and Mary Wollstonecraft aligned with those of French philosophes, Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Denis Diderot. These individuals promoted egalitarianism in many realms, including education. In France, some people endorsed extending educational opportunities to women and the lower classes. Others, however, believed that access to education should be limited to males of high social status. The struggle over education had begun.

• CA  10.2: 1,2,4 Historical Interpretation: 3
• TX  113.33(1): b, d; 113.33(8): a-b; 113.33(20): a-b; 113.33(21): a-b; 113.33(25): b-e, g-h; 113.33(26): a, c; 113.38(2): d
• FL  SS.A.3.4: 5,6
• NCSS  I (HS): a,c,d; II (HS): c-e; IV (HS): b-d,h; V (HS): a,b,d,e,h; VI (HS): a; VIII (HS): c; IX (HS): b-d

2 class periods

• Activity Sheet, Educational Equality in Revolutionary France
• Timeline, Chronology of the 17th and 18th Centuries 
• Graphic Organizer, Main Idea and Details Chart
• Performance Rubric

Students have the opportunity to write a Research Paper (See Extension below).

Should women and the lower classes have the right to an education?

Support an Opinion Students will hold a panel discussion in which they present opinions on the access and availability of education for women and members of the lower classes. Working in groups, students will research education issues in Revolutionary France, focusing on the social, political, and economic changes that brought the debate over education to the forefront.

Have students research the topic using the provided links. Encourage them to use the suggested graphic organizer as they read the articles.

This18th-century engraving portrays newspaper readers in Revolutionary France.

To start students thinking about the debate over education during the Revolution, have them examine the engraving.

Key questions students should answer are:

• 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 prior to the French Revolution?

Distribute the Student Activity sheet. Divide the class into three groups: those who will research opinions about the education of upper- and middle-class men; those who will research the arguments for and against women’s education; and those who will research the arguments for and against granting the lower classes access to education.

In conducting their research, students should reflect on the following topics:

• France in the 18th Century
• The “Woman Question”
• Education of Children
• Educating the Masses
• Wollstonecraft on Educating Women
• Education and Upheaval

Tell students that you will moderate a panel discussion. Explain that one member of each group will represent the group’s findings.

Students who are not members of the panel should participate during the question-and-answer session.

Use the Performance Rubric to assess students’ performance.

Have students reflect on their performance and use the list of expectations to judge how well they met the criteria.

Ask students: Why did the issue of education become so significant during the time of the French Revolution?

Expository Writing Have students use Daily Life through History to research and write about other changes advocated by Enlightenment thinkers.

Critical Thinking: SYNTHESIZE