Elizabeth Cady Argumentative Essay On Women's Rights

The origins of Elizabeth Cady Stanton’s undying fervor for women’s rights derived from her early childhood. Stanton was born into a wealthy family, as her mother’s father had been colonel of the Continental Army and her father held an office in the New York State Assembly, and served as a judge on the New York Supreme Court. Despite her wealthy upbringing, her childhood was surrounded by the cult of domesticity and the belief on how women were of less value than men. Following her older brother’s death, she desired to fill in his void by taking up “masculine” hobbies: learning Greek, horseback riding, chess, and attending Johnstown Academy. Unfortunately, her father failed to acknowledge her achievements and acted indifferent toward them. As

if fate heard her unsaid hope, she overheard her father advising a woman by commanding, “When you are grown up, and able to prepare a speech, you must go down to Albany and talk to the legislators; tell them all you have seen in this office–the sufferings of these Scotch women...if you can persuade them to pass new laws, the old ones will be a dead letter” (Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy”). After eavesdropping on the conversation, Stanton became awestruck and began questioning about the differences of sex.
After she finished schooling at Johnstown Academy, she attended Troy Female Seminary and decided against receiving a degree due to Charles Finney’s revival sessions. Since her parents were strong Protestants, they suggested to withdraw from Troy and rewarded her with a trip to Nigeria, which led to Stanton’s lifelong religious skepticism. When she returned, she spent time with her family on the East coast, where she met one of her closest friends, Theodore Weld, while attending the Rochester Manual Labor Institute. During her stay at her cousin’s house, a frequent visitor was Henry Stanton, an aspiring abolitionist, who courted her. After confirming his relationship status, the two quickly married and attended the World Anti Slavery Convention in London. Ironically, women were not allowed to sit with the men. Moreover, Stanton became furious due to her husband’s lack of interest towards gender inequality, as he merely talked about the convention’s segregation as opposed to partaking in several make delegates’ of sitting with the women in protest. This signifies her separation from her husband and strengthening her devotion to her cause, since he cared more about emancipation.
Moreover, the convention itself allowed Stanton to meet various women’s rights activists and become enlightened with the stories they carried.

Although her early days as a housewife were fulfilling, the work become depressing and she took pity on women in the area who were abused, beaten, and treated like slaves. Suddenly, she received an invitation, along with other women’s rights activists, from Lucretia Mott to meet in Waterloo to discuss a pivotal point on Stanton’s career--the Seneca Falls Convention, After a two-day planning meeting, the fifty women planned the Seneca Falls Convention to be five days after. From July 19-20, 1848, over 300 people attended, including Sojourner Truth, 40 men and Frederick Douglass, Quakers from nearby cities, and the Society of Friends. These people signed the Declaration of Sentiments, written by Elizabeth Stanton and modeled after the Declaration of Independence, which addressed women’s inability to vote, the denial to own property, unequal rights in divorce and marriage, equal opportunity to education, and their status under men. Moreover, those who signed declared how they’re advocating for women’s suffrage and a reform of property and marital laws in the United States. Its success led to a second convention in Rochester and more women having conventions throughout the United States between

1850-1860.
During this time, Stanton met her colleague and best friend, Susan B. Anthony in 1851. Anthony was disinterested in the women’s movement until she had been denied to speak at a temperance convention. She was introduced to Stanton by Amelia Bloomer at William Lloyd Garrison and George Thompson's anti-slavery convention in Seneca Falls. The two women became best friends instantaneously and fought for women’s rights together. Anthony’s tactical thinking and ability to strategize complemented Stanton’s innovative ideas and effective writing skills. Anthony often aided Stanton with her busy life of taking care of her children and speaking at conventions for her when Stanton was too occupied. During the Civil War era, however, they were told to wait after the emancipation of slaves to push for women’s suffrage. Unfortunately, the Reconstruction-era amendment additions failed to recognize women’s rights. As a result, the two women formed the National Women’s Suffrage Association (NWSA), which rivaled the American Women’s Suffrage Association (AWSA). To distinguish themselves apart from AWSA and gain more members for NWSA, Stanton and Anthony published The Revolution (1868-1872).The two organizations, however, eventually combined forces to become the National American Suffrage Association. In addition, they frequently petitioned Congress for a sixteenth amendment, or one that would call for women’s suffrage.
As time passed, Stanton returned to advocating for universal suffrage. She proposed an education suffrage reform for nonwhites and women. She deemed education as constantly changing and that is should always be subject to adjustments, similar to many past reformers. In addition, she attempted to impeach the theologies presented by various religious, claiming that they degrade women. Unfortunately, her book, The Woman’s Bible, stirred conflict within her organization and opposed her ideas. The Woman’s Bible critiqued how the Bible didn’t support women’s equality and addressed that one should pray to a “heavenly mother,” rather than the heavenly father [God]. Similar to the NWSA, critics deemed the book as Satan’s work and was never accepted by Bible scholars as a major work, despite it being a national bestseller. Nevertheless, Stanton continued to write about her ideas ands struggle in her autobiography, Eightey Years and More,
After her 80th birthday, Stanton had become old and feeble. She could barely stand due to her significant weight gain and rarely left her apartment in New York. Despite her impending blindness and lack of physical strength, she still wrote letters and dictated articles orally to pursue women suffrage. She passed away on October 26, 1902, in New York City, 19 years before the Nineteenth Amendment, which addressed gender equality, was passed. Although Stanton was never able to vote, her daughter, however, was able to vote. Throughout her life, Stanton was able to revolutionize the women’s movement for equality; she sparked the fire create an explosion of reforms, conventions, speeches, and protests that led to the better treatment of women. Today, Elizabeth Cady Stanton is looked upon as a tide of change, bringing forth new ideas and taking action to fight for gender equality. Although Stanton had confronted the lack of gender equality laws in the United States by setting the foundation for feminism, there is still additional work to be initiated in feminism today, such as women pioneers in politics, science, and business.