American women have been concerned about their rights since the country was under the Articles of Confederation. As the founding fathers got together to discuss the construction of the country, Abigail Adams, John Adams’ wife, reminded her husband to “remember the ladies” and that they are “determined to foment a rebellion” if ignored (Russell). At the Seneca Falls convention a large group of women got together to discuss the rights they thought they deserved and were being deprived of, and how they could accomplish their goals. This historic convention was the birthplace of inspirational suffragists, revolutionary ideas, and the Declaration of Sentiments, an extremely clever document that listed the grievances of women. The Seneca Falls Convention …show more content…
was one of the key points to women’s rights and was necessary to the next hundred years of the movement. In 1840, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott attended an abolition meeting that took place in London. While at this meeting, the two women planned to be seated as delegates and speak on the floor; however, when they arrived they found that they were denied those privileges because of their gender. This rejection is what sparked the idea for the Seneca Falls Convention. In 1848, the two women met with Martha Coffin Wright, Jane Hunt, and Mary Ann McClintock to organize the convention that would take place were Stanton lived, in Seneca Falls, New York at a Wesleyan church. The convention lasted two days with up to 300 people, consisting of both men and women, in attendance (“Seneca Falls Convention”). The convention sparked the interest of women’s rights for many and several women’s organizations began to make themselves present, namely the American Woman Suffrage Association and the National Woman Suffrage Association. These two rival groups were headed up by Lucy Stone and Elizabeth Cady Stanton and in 1890 merged into the National American Woman Suffrage Association, whose first president was Stanton (National American Woman). By creating both the Seneca Falls Convention, and the National American Women Suffrage Association, Elizabeth Cady Stanton became one of the most important figures in the women’s rights movement. Her radical ideas about women’s suffrage and equal rights led to the creation of the Seneca Falls movement which directly shaped the minds of many suffragists who worked endlessly to fight for equal rights for all, regardless of gender. Stanton opened the Seneca Falls convention with a piece called The Declaration of Sentiments.
The structure of the declaration was nearly identical to The Declaration of Independence, with one of the sentences reading “We told these truths to be self-evident that all men and women are created equal” (Elizabeth Cady Stanton). While the Declaration of Independence listed grievances to the King of England, the Declaration of Sentiments listed women’s grievances to men, specifically stating where women believed they were wronged by men. The declaration’s message had a lasting impact on the audience and had unanimous support as did the other resolutions that were presented at the convention. The convention ended with a significant amount of men and women signing a document that would give men and women the same political and civil rights, including the right to vote (Common Core Exemplar). The Declaration of Sentiments is also referred to Women’s Declaration of Independence and the second name captures how important this document is. On July 13, 1848, Women essentially declared independence from men. They declared that they do not need to be dependent on men to live fulfilled lives, and presenting these ideas in the 19th century was revolutionary. Women have always been seen worldwide as the weaker sex who can’t function without the support of men and the Seneca Falls Convention proved those stereotypes wrong. It gave women a voice, and they continue to build on that voice to this
day. There are those who do not believe that the Seneca Falls Convention was the most important part of the women’s rights movements. People believe without a doubt, that the most important event to happen to women was their enfranchisement. It is true that the Nineteenth Amendment was the goal of many suffragists and that the ratification of the amendment should be celebrated as a major victory for women. The Seneca Falls Convention, however, is what made women believe that their voice matters. It was what brought the feminist movement to the United States (PimaLib_JessicaP). The convention mobilized enough women nationwide so that victories, such as the ratification of the nineteenth amendment, could be possible. The importance of the Seneca Falls Convention was not that it just promoted women’s suffrage, but that it promoted women to be seen just as equal as men. Even after suffrage was legalized nationwide, women continued to fight until they believed they have received the same social and economic privileges that men are granted. It is why women created Planned Parenthood in the 1920s. It is why women continued to fight for the right to privacy granted to them in Roe v. Wade. It is why women continue to fight today. The Seneca Falls Convention was not just a single event. It did not end after the second day at Seneca Falls, New York. It sparked something in the nation, and that light hasn’t gone out since. In a society where everyone is said to be equal, it is essential that the nation acts on those promises. When the nation refused to include women, they wrote their way towards deliverance. With the introduction of the Declaration of Sentiments at the Seneca Falls Convention, women became more confident that the “inalienable rights” that were granted to men, should also be granted to them. They began seeing themselves as valuable members of society and felt that their voice deserved to be heard. Without the early impact that the Seneca Falls Convention gave, the women’s rights movement in America might be fifty years behind. By marking the first wave of feminism, the convention was able to get women to do incredible things over the next hundred and fifty years, and the decedents of those suffragist are still hard at work today, ensuring that men and women will always be seen as equal beings.
They fight for the rights of women in regard of being viewed as equal to the male gender. Although they have many similarities, they differ in several ways as well. In “Letter to John Adams” Abigail Adams urges her husband to “remember the ladies” in a well written letter. However, in the “Declaration of Sentiments of the Seneca Falls Woman’s Rights Convention” the rights of women are addressed at a city held convention fighting for our rights as women. Similarities of these documents contain the ideas of addressing the amendments and people of the Congress when standing up for what they believe
Even though the Seneca Falls conference for the Declaration of Independence was in 1848 which is about 72 years after the colonies declaration of independence they had some similarities in the components that each document contain plus what each wanted to represent for it was used as a model. To start with the statement “We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men and women are created equal”, the whole sentence is very similar to that of the colonies and it provides the content in which even though time and places are different they had similar views in how they wanted things to be and the governmental guidelines. This document wanted the women to have the same rights as men, for them to be considered individuals by society. Evidently, 68 women and 32 men signed it; which as mentioned before was different from the US Declaration of Independence where only men, 56 of them, signed it. This Declaration of Independence is a ground changing moment for it realigns women to be treated equally and goes about stating many forms of mistreatment that have been occurring to women since the start of time. So with this they are now to be given the same rights detailed in the US declaration of Independence for they are too citizens of the United States. Even though this even
1. The chosen book titled “Seneca Falls and the Origins of the Women 's Right Movement” is written by Sally McMillen in 2008. It is a primary source, as long as its author for the first time opens the secrets of the revolutionary movement, which started in 1848 from the convention held by Lucretia Mott and Elizabeth Stanton. It is not a secondary source, as long as information from the book appears for the first time. Stanton did not reveal much in her memoirs, so the author had to work hard to bring this information on the surface. The convention changed the course of history by starting protecting women’s rights and enhancing overall gender equality. The book is a reflection of women’s activity in the name of their freedom and rights equality during fifty years. The book is significant both to the present and to the past time, as long as there are many issues in the society related to the women’s rights, and to the time studied in the class.
However, the writers of the Constitution had omitted women in that pivotal statement which left women to be denied these “unalienable” rights given to every countryman. Gaining the support of many, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, the leader of the Women’s Rights Movement declared at Seneca Falls that women had the same rights as men including the right to vote and be a part of government. The Women’s Rights movement gained support due to the years of abuse women endured. For years, men had “the power to chastise and imprison his wife…” and they were tired of suffering (Doc I). The new concept of the cult of domesticity supported women’s roles in society but created greater divisions between men and women.
When Thomas Jefferson wrote the second paragraph of the Declaration of Independence, it became one of his greatest legacies. In the first line he wrote, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal" (U.S. Constitution, paragraph 2). Jefferson wrote these words to give inspiration to future generations in the hopes that they would be able to change what he either would or could not. The word “men” in the Declaration in the early 1700 and 1800’s meant exactly that, but even then it only was true for some men, not all. Women, children, and other segments of the population such as slaves and Native Americans were clearly not included. Jefferson himself was a slave owner and held the belief that women were inferior to men. Though women played no role in the political environment, they were crucial to the development and economic success of the times. The strength, courage and work ethic of pioneer women like Martha Ballard in “A Midwife’s Tale” (Thatcher, 1990) created the very fabric of the community and wove it together so the community could thrive.
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.
During America's early history, women were denied some of the rights to well-being by men. For example, married women couldn't own property and had no legal claim to any money that they might earn, and women hadn't the right to vote. They were expected to focus on housework and motherhood, and didn't have to join politics. On the contrary, they didn't have to be interested in them. Then, in order to ratify this amendment they were prompted to a long and hard fight; victory took decades of agitation and protest. Beginning in the 19th century, some generations of women's suffrage supporters lobbied to achieve what a lot of Americans needed: a radical change of the Constitution. The movement for women's rights began to organize after 1848 at the national level. In July of that year, reformers Elizabeth Cady Stanton(1815-1902) and Lucretia Mott (1793-1880), along with Susan B. Anthony (1820-1906) and other activists organized the first convention for women's rights at Seneca Falls, New York. More than 300 people, mostly women but also some men, attended it. Then, they raised public awar...
dangerous. So by giving away more public roles to women the society on South became
Sixty- nine years after the Declaration of Independence, one group of women gathered together and formed the Seneca Falls Convention. Prior and subsequent to the convention, women were not allowed to vote because they were not considered equal to men. During the convention, Elizabeth Cady Stanton delivered the “Declaration of Sentiments.” It intentionally resembles the Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be self-evident; that all men and women are created equal…” (Stanton, 466). She replaced the “men” with “men and women” to represent that women and men should be treated equally. Stanton and the other women in the convention tried to fight for voting rights. Dismally, when the Equal Rights Amendment was introduced to the Congress, the act failed to be passed. Even though women voiced their opinions out and urged for justice, they could not get 2/3 of the states to agree to pass the amendment. Women wanted to tackle on the voting inequalities, but was resulted with more inequalities because people failed to listen to them. One reason why women did not achieve their goals was because the image of the traditional roles of women was difficult to break through. During this time period, many people believed that women should remain as traditional housewives.
Stanton and Mott were infuriated with the rejection of women, so they decided to hold a women’s rights meeting. This meeting was considered a Women’s Rights convention and was held in Seneca Falls. This was the very first meeting and was held in New York. Stanton then composed “The Declaration of Sentiments.” The text proposed that women should receive the right education, and changes to the law to raise the status of a “lady.”
In 1850 society the new republic altered the role of women by making the differences of men and women in society more noticeable, by giving them a higher status, and allowing them to demand more rights and think for freely.
Women had limited rights during the 19th Century. The Seneca Falls convention was a woman’s rights convention located in Seneca Falls in what is today known as Finger Lakes District (Page 3). This convention paved the road to help women gain rights and to stop being so dependent on men. At this time period women were not allowed to vote, own land, have a professional career, they only received minor education, etc. In an interesting book, Seneca Falls and the Origins of the Women’s Rights Movement, by Sally G. McMillen she explains the widespread significance of the convention that changed women’s history. From 1840 to 1890, over the course of 50 years. Four astonishing women; Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucretia Mott, Susan B Anthony and Lucy
The entire Women’s Movement in the United States has been quite extensive. It can be traced back to 1848, when the first women’s rights convention was held in Seneca Falls, New York. After two days of discussions, 100 men and women signed the Declaration of Sentiments. Drafted by Elizabeth Cady Stanton, this document called for equal treatment of women and men under the law and voting rights for women. This gathering set the agenda for the rest of the Women’s Movement long ago (Imbornoni). Over the next 100 years, many women played a part in supporting equal treatment for women, most notably leading to the ratification of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, which allowed women the right to vote.
The Declaration of Sentiments is a document signed by 68 women and 32 men in July 1848. This was the first convention to be organized by women. This convention was known as Seneca Falls Convention, which was held in Seneca Falls, New York. Elizabeth Stanton, the principle author, based the document on the United States Declaration of Independence. Elizabeth Stanton was a key organizer of the Seneca Falls Convention along with Lucretia Mott and Martha Wright.
When asking where I'd like to go, I think it's better to ask when. History has