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Women and their fight for equality
Women's struggles in American society to achieve equal rights
Women and their fight for equality
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Ray Mitchell
Research Paper
Prof. Hatchett
11/28/17
A Mercy by Toni Morrison and the Declaration of Sentiments by Elizabeth Cady Stanton
The female characters in A Mercy by Toni Morrison would absolutely agree with the ideas expressed in the Declaration of Sentiments by Elizabeth Cady Stanton. They would be in favor of women’s rights because as women in the 17th century they were oppressed. Not only were the slaves oppressed but women in general.
Florens for instance was interested in the blacksmith romantically, however because she was oppressed as a slave she could not do as she please and pursue him as she wished. She was not free and he was. “Florens had stood still, a startled doe, when he dismounted his horse, doffed his hat
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and asked if this was the Vaark place.”(2) Florens Mother because she is a slave and saw no other way she could protect her daughter she does what she thought was best in the moment that the opportunity presented itself which was to offer her daughter to go with the lender Jacob Vaark that came to collect a debt from D’Ortega.
Lina whom is owned by Jacob Vaark would agree with Stanton because throughout her life she has suffered abuse from male figures for example when the soldiers burned her village or during her romance with a European man that became abusive. Even though at the Vaark farm she has a comfortable life and seems content.
Jacob Vaark would probably be for womens rights and agree with Stanton because in spite of him being a slave owner he would have preferred not to have been. He was a kind-hearted man. Jacob Vaark did not agree that people should be treated the way some slaves were treated by their masters. Masters such as his debtor D’Ortega who is cruel and abusive.
Rebekka Vaark would be against women’s rights because though she is a woman herself, she is also a slave owner by way of her husband and mistress to the slaves, women’s rights would directly conflict with the life she is able to enjoy and live because she has
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slaves. D’Ortega would disagree with Stanton because it would mean a halt to his livelihood as a slave trader and plantation owner. D’Ortega is a poster child for what a bad slave owner is. He rapes his slaves, mistreats them and is in general very unpleasant towards the slaves he owns and uses. If D’Ortega agreed with Stanton he would not have been able to offer Florens in trade to help settle his debt.
He would see the act for what it is, wrong and inconceivable. We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. (Declaration of Independence). Stanton stated that women should have the same rights as men, such as those which are stated in the declaration of independence.
As applied to Rebekka Vaark and stated in Stanton’s piece “He has made her, if married, in the eyes of the law, civilly dead.” Speaking to this fact is the sense of turmoil that ensues when Jacob Vaark passes away. Florens a woman born into slavery would be in favor of Stanton’s document. It would mean she would not even be in the predicament that she is in now being a slave at such a young age not being able to explore or archive the full potential she may have had in
store. The reverend father would be a supporter of Stanton’s view on women’s rights because he was going against the law of the land at that time was teaching women and not just women but slave women about religion and how to read. He has denied her the facilities for obtaining a thorough education—all colleges being closed against her. Stanton states in her document. By teaching the women how to read the reverend father is giving them an opportunity to become more and do more. The saying knowledge is power holds true here because in teaching the slave women how to read they will be able to better their lives through the power of information. Something other slave women do not have available to them. In conclusion Morrison and Stanton both make strong cases for women’s rights. In their writings they show the struggles that women had to endure in the past. Some of those same struggles still exist today. As much progress that has been made in the fight for womens rights there is still so much more.
Elizabeth Cady Stanton was one of the most renowned women to lead campaigns for women’s rights. Her efforts were focused on "opportunities for women, for married women’s property rights, the right to divorce, and the right to custody of children; her most radical demand was for women’s right to vote" (Davidson and Wagner-Martin 845). In general Stanton wished to instill independence and self-reliance in all women. Stanton was an inspiring orator of speeches including the Declaration of Sentiments as well as the book The Women’s Bible. Upon analysis of her speeches and other works, as well as gaining knowledge of her background, one is able to assume that personal experience strongly affected her writing, which illustrates her writing as representative in that it addressed inequality based on the issue of gender. Another factor that influenced her writing was the way in which she interpreted the great works, the Declaration of Independence and the Holy Bible. Noticing the obvious discrimination and guidelines set for women, Elizabeth Cady Stanton composed a new "women friendly" version of each that she called the Declaration of Sentiments and The Women’s Bible.
Stanton did not reveal much in her memoirs, so the author had to work hard to bring this information to the surface. The convention changed the course of history by starting by 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 and equality for fifty years. The book is significant both to the present and to the past, as long as there are many issues in the society related to the women’s rights, and to the time studied in the class. 2.
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.
Stanton argues many valid points with significant impact. Throughout her speech, she uses many examples of logical appeals. She states, “The question is now: how shall we get possession of what rightfully belongs to us?” In this quote, Stanton is agitating the question of when women are going to get not only the rights they deserve, but also the equality they demand. She is disgracing the rules that they live under, and questioning when things will be set right. She also argues, “All white men in this country have the same rights, however they may differ in mind, body, or estate.” All white men in America at this time had freedom no matter what they owned or what their background. They could be rich, wealthy businessmen or poor country farmers, and as much as they differed in society standards, they all shared one common thing: their rights. She is making an emotional appeal to the women of the country, and exposing the anger of the unfair situation the women are stuck in. One of the key phrases she repeats is, “The right is ours.” Stanton repeats this short, yet powerful, phrase in order to get her message through. She believes and fights that all free women should be just as equal as all free men. The use of repeating this phrase helps others understand how dearly ...
Since the beginning of the 17th-century and earlier, there has always been different perspectives on women 's rights. Men and women all over the world have voiced their opinion and position in regard to the rights of women. This holds especially true in the United States during the 18th and 19th century. As women campaigned for equality, there were some who opposed this idea. There was, and always will be a series of arguments on behalf of women 's rights. Anti-women 's rights activists such as Dr. John Todd and Pro-women 's rights activist Gail Hamilton argued intelligently and tactfully on the topic. There were many key arguments made against women’s rights by Dr. John Todd, and Gail Hamilton 's rebuttal was graceful and on par with her male counterpart. Let 's examine some of Dr. John 's arguments against women 's equality.
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.
Although women did not have the same rights as men, they came to possess a mentality that was a force to be reckoned with in a fight for equality. In 1848 at Seneca Falls, New York, 150 women and 30 men met to dispute the male sovereignty of the time. At this conference, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, an educated, married abolitionist, presented the “Declaration of Sentiments”. This document was a testament to the drastic changes the United States would have to go through to include women in its widespread ideals. As the basis for their argument, the writers of the Seneca Falls Declaration utilized the Declaration of Independence to catch the attention of the public and display the severity of the situation. However, in her oration, Stanton changes the male centralized voice of the Declaration of Independence. When addressing the self –evident truths, she expressed that “all men and women are created equal” instead of the original phrase that excluded women (Anthony, Stanton, and Gage, 239). Their document was further structured with 18 grievances and 11 resolutions; each was meant to recognize women as equal members of society. As the current government has “become destructive of [life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness], it is right of those who suffer from it to refuse allegiance to it, and to insist upon the institution of a new government” (Anthony, Stanton, and Gage, 240). Because women were rightfully entitled to an equal station beside men, they demanded the recognition of the rights that society was currently denying them. The most controversial resolution presented at the conference was the desire to vote. Women wanted this ability because they deserved to have a voice in the laws that would inevitably affect them. As free American citizens, it was their inalienable right to vote and have some form of representation in legislation. The Seneca Falls Conference and the Declaration of Sentiments was just the beginning of a public fight for women’s equality and rights.
Women’s rights pioneer, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, in her speech, The Destructive Male, expresses her feelings about Women's suffrage in 1868, and brought to light the misconception that women are not equal to man and imply that men bring more destruction than restoration.
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.
At Seneca Falls, New York, in 1848, Stanton helped draft a Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions. In it, the advocates of women's rights accused "mankind" of "repeated injuries and usurpations" toward women. They said that men had "oppressed them on all sides." And they demanded equal access to education, the trades, professions, and an end to the double standards that existed for men and women. Only by doing away with laws that "restricted women's freedom or placed her in a position inferior to men" could women achieve equality (153).
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 the analysis of the issue in question, I have considered Mary Wollstonecraft’s Text, Vindication of the Rights of Woman. As an equivocal for liberties for humanity, Wollstonecraft was a feminist who championed for women rights of her time. Having witnessed devastating results or men’s improvidence, Wollstonecraft embraced an independent life, educated herself, and ultimately earned a living as a writer, teacher, and governess. In her book, “A Vindication of the Rights of Woman,” she created a scandal perhaps to her unconventional lifestyle. The book is a manifesto of women rights arguing passionately for educating women. Sensualist and tyrants appear right in their endeavor to hold women in darkness to serve as slaves and their plaything. Anyone with a keen interest in women rights movement will surely welcome her inexpensive edition, a landmark documen...
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
In fact, women had to carry with the pain of having their children wrenched from them. Women were forced to be “breeders” they were meant to bear children to add to their master’s “stock”, but they were denied the right to care for them. It was not something unusual to happen to these women it was considered normal. The master didn’t believe the female slaves had feelings, or the right to ruin their merchandise. It was also not unusual for the plantation master to satisfy his sexual lust with his female slaves and force them to have his children. Children that were born from these unions were often sold to protect the honor and dignity of the slave owner’s wife, who would be forced to face the undeniable proof of her husband’s lust for “black women.”
Rebekka, Lina, Florens, and Sorrow all experience the unimportant role of females during this time. The four women live in fear for their lives, and are subject to the merciless world filled with men and hierarchy. It does not matter whether you are a slave, free, European, or African. If you are a woman, you are presumed to aid for others, and anything that you want to do or be in life is disregarded. Women are not given the chance to truly live they way that they want to, and are stripped of their right to freedom and an unrestricted