Elizabeth Cady Stanton's Heroic Qualities

In the late Nineteenth century, women were beginning to become more progressive in their actions. They began to stand up for themselves and fight for their rights. In the late 1850’s, Elizabeth Cady Stanton was one of the more prominent women to do so. She worked with Susan B. Anthony to deliver a majority of the population the rights that they rightfully deserved. Her actions are important in the United States’ History because they helped to encourage women to form the Women’s Suffrage Movement. Many Scholars have written about her, but simply with a different lens of focus. For example, they have written about her use of the bicycle in her campaign and her unique stance on religion. It is important to continue studying her actions because the issues she was fighting for back then, such as: the abolition of capital punishment, and an end to police brutality, are still issues today. Perhaps if the people of the United States today collectively took after her intrepid and forward thinking attitude in life, there could be more positive change in this country.

“The Declarations of Sentiments and Resolutions” by Elizabeth Cady Stanton is an interesting and persuasive essay on women's rights and equality. The essay uses pathos, logos, and ethos to capture the reader's attention and draw them in into this argumentative piece. Each appeal deeply exercises the importance of equality for both men and women. Throughout her essay, Stanton uses pathos, logos, and ethos to draw the reader's attention and persuade them to stand up for women inequality.

Stanton begins her declaration by explaining her understanding for an explanation of the actions of herself and her associates. She appeals to the intellect by quoting the Declaration of Independence and by specifically adding “women” to the phrase, “We hold

Elizabeth Cady Stanton was not just a mother, daughter, feminist, and writer; but she is the woman who changed the lives of women everywhere by fighting for equality. Stanton lived a normal childhood, but one that motivated her to never give up hope in reaching her goal. A quick background of her life will help better understand why she became such a powerful woman’s rights activist. Also, what she accomplished that changed history and how it still affects us today in 2011. I will also express my individual satisfaction with what this incredible woman has done for women everywhere. On November 12, 1815 Elizabeth Cady Stanton was born to the Cady family in Johnstown, New York (Gordon, 2009). She was born into a high-class, conservative,

Elizabeth Cady Stanton was a famous woman who led the women’s movement. Also, a writer who wrote none other than the famous work called the Declaration

Elizabeth Stanton was an amazing woman and historical figure, who demonstrates what it takes to get a law passed in the United States Government. Elizabeth along with many other women laid the ground work for the women’s movement by organizing the Woman’s Suffrage Movement. The power and influence of these tremendous women grew for many years, and transformed into the National Women’s Suffrage Association (NWSA). Sadly, Elizabeth was not able to exercise her right to vote in her lifetime, nevertheless, the contributions that she made to the women’s movement will be recognized in history

In Elizabeth Cady Stanton’s “Declaration of Sentiments of the Seneca Falls Woman’s Rights Convention”, She makes a statement that ultimately makes

Elizabeth Stanton delivered one of the most historical speeches in U.S history in 1848. Her speech, “Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions” was a fight for women’s rights. Elizabeth Stanton was a mother, highly accomplished and well educated. She began to relish the fact that women had a lack of advancement opportunities, and were especially constricted compared to men. She gave her speech at the Seneca Falls convention, and caught the attention of many with her compelling speech tactics. Stanton wrote her speech structured after our nations “Declaration of Independence”. She also persuaded others to see the truth behind her arguments by claims of natural rights. Finally Stanton uses a pathos strategy

Most of the American society does not possess a basic knowledge of when the civil battle for women’s rights began. In the year 1848, the first convention of U.S. women’s rights was held in Seneca Falls, New York. Elizabeth Cady Stanton was a primary speaker and one of the women behind the organization of the convention. Stanton had many beliefs that at the time were unfathomable to many conservative people because it required a widespread change in how the country was run. E. Cady Stanton has put her name in history on all topics of human rights, in particular: being an abolitionist, suffragist, and what we refer to today as a feminist or equal rights activist. During the convention, her speech “Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions” called particular attention to equal rights for women in a country that inaccurately prides itself on freedom. Stanton’s work on equal rights opens with allusion to the “Declaration of Independence” and appeal to morals and ethos, leading to a section formed around anaphora and appeal to pathos, and then concluding her speech on appeal to logos, pathos, divine morals, and ethos.

(Hannam 296) During the Anti-Slavery Movement, she had valuable experience in public speaking and running poilitical organizations through her work in the abolishionist movement. (298 ) in the process women were generally discouraged from taking active part in public life and expected to join women only groups in support of male organizations (ibid) While Elizabeth Cady Stanton is best known for her long contribution to the woman suffrage struggle, without her struggles these issues wouldnt have been effective in winning property rights for married women, equal guardianship of children, and liberalized divorce laws. These reforms made it possible for women to leave marriages that were abusive of the wife, the children, and the economic health of the family.

In the same year, Sarah had to answer the burning questions from ministers addressing why she stepping out of the woman’s proper place. To answer the questions Sarah created a paper titled, “Letters on the Equality of the Sexes and the Condition of Women”; “Woman, in all ages and countries, has been the scoff and the jest of her lordly master. If she attempted, like him, to approve her, she was ridiculed as pedantic, and driven from the temple of science and literature by coarse attacks and vulgar sarcasm,” (Grimké and Parker 66). This paper was the beginning of Sarah’s role in women’s rights; she would not get to see women rights grow as it did because Sarah passed way in 1873. Some people say that her letter and more paved the way for more women like Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott, to help end slavery and start the women rights movement.

Nonetheless, Stanton managed to target her audiences, by assuming herself as almost a philosopher communicating about life and individual human soul, rather than as a feminist (1). Consider that her audience were males and did not form a positive impression on her before she made the speech, Stanton was able to grab her audiences’ attention by turning away from her usual approach to promote women’s suffrage and raising a question about individual rights (Ginzberg 170). The speech was structured in a way that all individuals could relate to the speech, and benefit from reflecting about the question proposed by the speech.

Stanton worked very closely with Anthony when it came to fighting for women’s rights. Stanton was the president of the National Women Suffrage Association as well as Anthony. Stanton was also in attendance when the Seneca Falls convention took place in July 1848. The Seneca Falls convention was a convention where a group of women all gathered and proposed that women should be granted the right to vote. Stanton fought for women’s rights in general, such as the right for women to divorce their husband instead of only the other way around and the right to vote particularly. For most of Stanton’s life, she would travel to many different places and lecture and inform people about women’s rights. Stanton would also campaign for the many groups she was associated with. Alongside Anthony, Stanton wrote many forms of journalism about women’s rights. Together they wrote the first three volumes of the History of Women Suffrage, which Matilda Joslyn Gage also helped out a little bit on. As a successful author and a woman’s rights activist, nothing was handed to her easily. She made quite an impact on the women’s rights movement. “The best protection a women can have is courage” is a very famous quote from Stanton that really describes what she stands for and what she believes in. Lucretia Mott was another women’s rights activist that always stood up for what she believed

However, the pain of losing his youngest son Eleazer in 1826 distracted Cady from taking much notice of her accomplishments; .".. her father's only reaction was, as always, to express the wish that she had been a boy." (Banner, 12) On occasion, certain cases read aloud to her would spark an interest; one case in particular entailed discrimination against women. Their former servant Flora Campbell's possessions, which had become her husband's property after marriage, had been willed to their negligent son. Campbell, as a woman, was prohibited to testify in court to regain her farm. Such cases infuriated Cady Stanton; she sought to keep them in mind when she grew up and was able to speak out against these injustices. While her father was away on business, Cady Stanton looked to other role models such as her cousin Gerrit Smith. He was a self-made philanthropist and social reformer who encouraged Cady Stanton's curiosity in politics and feminist reform; however, he was first and foremost an abolitionist, sometimes disagreeing with Cady Stanton's opinion about which issue was more important. Elizabeth's family often visited Smith in his town Peterboro. During their gatherings, Smith, his outspoken wife Ann Fitzhugh, and many of his cultured guests used his home as an open forum for engaging discussion, be it abolitionism or woman's rights. It was Smith who shaped young Cady Stanton's budding mind, and his

Elizabeth Cady Stanton didn’t want to be remembered as a household but the women they will admire. The purpose of this paper is to explain the life of Elizabeth Stanton and how she had a huge effect on the outcome of seeking equal rights for woman.