Mary Wollstonecraft's A Vindication of the Rights of Men is a significant political pamphlet published in 1790. The pamphlet was written in response to Edmund Burke's Reflections on the Revolution in France, which defended the aristocracy and monarchy. Wollstonecraft's work was one of the first responses in a pamphlet war sparked by Burke's publication.  Wollstonecraft attacks hereditary privilege and advocates for republicanism, arguing for a society based on merit rather than birthright. Driven by Enlightenment beliefs in progress and reason, Wollstonecraft argues for the rights of middle-class working people and the importance of rationality in political and social life. Wollstonecraft uses Burke's own gendered language to critique his arguments, highlighting the ways in which societal norms and language perpetuate gender inequality.  In the 1970s, feminist scholars revisited Wollstonecraft's texts, bringing greater attention to their intellectualism and significance. A Vindication of the Rights of Men laid the groundwork for Wollstonecraft's later work, A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, and contributed to the development of feminist philosophy. Wollstonecraft's A Vindication of the Rights of Men is a powerful critique of aristocracy and a passionate defense of republicanism and individual rights, making it a foundational text in both political and feminist literature. 

“A Vindication of the Rights of Men - Online Library of Liberty.” Libertyfund.org, 2019, oll.libertyfund.org/titles/wollstonecraft-a-vindication-of-the-rights-of-men.