The Women's Rights Movement 1848-1920

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The Women’s Rights Movement was a long and persistent battle fought by many brave female advocates that came before us such as Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucretia Mott and Susan B. Anthony. These women selflessly dedicated their lives to the ratification of the 19th Amendment, which forever changed the lives of womankind in America. Prior to their efforts, the United States was still in shambles over the Civil War and spent most of its focus on rebuilding the country and securing rights to African American men. Several activists resented the fact that women were not included in this effort and took matters into their own hands.
The first meeting solely dedicated to women’s rights was the Seneca Falls Convention on July 19-20, 1848 and was led by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott. The convention attracted nearly one hundred people, in which two-thirds of those in attendance were women. It was here that the Women’s Rights Movement was born. Elizabeth Stanton created the “Declaration of Sentiments, Grievances and Resolutions” which mimicked the Preamble of the Declaration of Independence. She wrote, “We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men and women are created equal” ("Papers of Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony—."). From this point on women addressed their limited rights in society and the barriers holding them back. The Seneca Falls Convention served as a breeding ground for female activists to come together and fight theses social and economic issues.
Although many women came together in the fight for women’s suffrage, they didn’t always agree on the course of action to get there. Initially, Elizabeth Stanton and Massachusetts teacher, Susan B. Anthony, started the National Woman Suffrage Associa...

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...rchives and Records Administration, n.d. Web. 17 Apr. 2014.

"ANTI-SUFFRAGE ASSOCIATION." ANTI-SUFFRAGE ASSOCIATION. Oklahoma State University, n.d. Web. 13 May 2014.

DODD, LYNDA G. "The Rhetoric Of Gender Upheaval During The Campaign For The Nineteenth Amendment." Boston University Law Review 93.3 (2013): 709-727. Academic Search Complete. Web. 19 Apr. 2014.

National Archives and Records Administration, Washington, DC. Woman Suffrage And The 19Th Amendment. Teaching With Documents. n.p.: 2002. ERIC. Web. 19 Apr. 2014.

"Papers of Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony—." Home Page: Stanton and Anthony Papers Online. Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, n.d. Web. 19 Apr. 2014.

"The Women's Rights Movement, 1848–1920." The Women's Rights Movement, 1848-1920. History, Art & Archives The United States House of Representative, n.d. Web. 12 May 2014.

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