Cult of True Womanhood: Women's Suffrage

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In the 1840’s, most of American women were beginning to become agitated by the morals and values that were expected of womanhood. “Historians have named this the ’Cult of True Womanhood’: that is, the idea that the only ‘true’ woman was a pious, submissive wife and mother concerned exclusively with home and family” (History.com). Voting was only the right of men, but women were on the brink to let their voices be heard. Women pioneers such as Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott wrote eleven resolutions in The Seneca Falls Declaration of Sentiments; this historical document demanded abolishment of any laws that authorized unequal treatment of women and to allow for passage of a suffrage amendment.

More than three hundred citizens came to take part in one of the most important documents written in women’s history during the Women’s Right’s Convention in upstate Seneca, New York, led by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott on July 19-20, 1848 (Ryder). Stanton became persistent when she included a resolution supporting voting rights for women in the document, intimidated by this notion her loyal husband threatened to boycott the convention. “Even Lucretia Mott warned her, ‘Why Lizzie, thee will make us ridiculous!’ ‘Lizzie,’ however, refused to yield” (Rynder). As Mott dreaded, out of eleven resolutions the most argumentative was the ninth–women’s suffrage resolution. The other 10 resolutions passed consistently. “According to Cady Stanton’s account, most who opposed this resolution did so because they believed it would compromise the others. She, however, remained adamant” (Rynder). When the two-day convention was over, one hundred men and women signed the historical the Seneca Falls Declaration of Sentiments to...

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Harper, Judith E. Susan B. Anthony: A Biographical Companion . 1998. 07 May 2014. .
"Rutgers." 2010. The Elizabeth Cady Stanton & Susan B. Anthony Papers Project. Rutgers. 05 May 2014. .
Rynder, Constance B. History Net. April 1999. 05 May 2013. .
Staff, History.com. "The Fight for Women’s Suffrage." 2009. History.com. A+E Networks. 06 May 2014. .
Staff, National Endowment for the Humanities. EDSITEment! n.d. 07 May 2014. .
Staff, Susan B. Anthony House & Muesum. Suffragist. 2013. 06 May 2014. .

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