The Declaration Of Sentiments By Elizabeth Cady Stanton

During the late 1700’s, the colonies in America were upset and resentful of the British tyranny. In order to make the separation between the two groups official, Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence. Two hundred years later, women were facing the same injustice, only it was from men; and to protest against the unfair treatment, Elizabeth Cady Stanton wrote the Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions. Both parties of oppression fought against the same outcome, unjust treatment, yet, each fought against different causes and in different ways.

1. Analyze Stanton 's use of induction and deduction to support her claim and develop the argument. 4-5 paragraphs.

Many women suffered beatings from their husbands who would frequently arrive home intoxicated. Women were fed up with these measures so they had the first convention it was held in New York. After days of discussion they finally settled upon “The Declaration of Sentiments” which had outlined their hardship

The Declaration of Sentiments contained several resolutions including that a man should not withhold a woman's rights, take her property or refuse to allow her to vote.” There were around 300 suffragists that attended including Fredrick Douglass, who revised the paper. When people discovered this convention took place, it became very controversial. Elizabeth Cady Stanton even threatened to move out of town.

The “Declaration of Sentiments” by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott stated that all men and women were created equal, therefore they both should have the inalienable rights of “life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness” (Doc 1). Since both women and men were created equal, the idea of suffrage should be of one for all, not subjected to only white, Anglo-Saxon males. These inalienable rights of liberty should pertain to the right to vote. Additionally, it was questioned that since women were able to take care of their families, loving and guiding their children, why were they not allowed the freedom to vote (Doc 6). This poem by Herman Paley discussed the idea of how various women throughout history “gave” the United States their leaders, then they should also have the right to

Woodrow Wilson, Carrie Chapman Catt, and Susan B. Anthony share a common purpose in their addresses advocating women’s suffrage.Wilson’s Address to the Senate on the Nineteenth Amendment expresses the opinion he holds about the lack of control over women being able to vote; he prioritizes the use of logos to create an argument consisting of present fact and his own belief of how the rest of the world will see them as a nation if they do not ratify the Nineteenth Amendment. Catt’s The Crisis analyzes her present issue of the acknowledgement of women’s suffrage. Catt explains that through the acknowledgement of women’s suffrage, women have been given more freedom, yet not the same equality as men. Catt wants more than just exceptions to social rules, she wants people to understand that a woman is not only an imperative cog in the societal machine, but equality should never be a crisis again. Susan B. Anthony wastes no time getting to the point in On Women’s Right to Vote; she instantly begins her speech with a strong denial of allegations thrown her way and moves right in to speak about the government basing a law off the sex of a person and how the government is not treated as a democracy. Through each of these addresses Wilson, Catt, and Anthony are divided by their point of view and united by their cause, yet only Carrie Chapman Catt’s address holds the most effective reasoning.

Sub-point B: The declaration of sentiments which is primarily known as the declaration of rights and sentiments is a document signed in 1848 by 68 women and 32 men at the Seneca Falls. It argues that women are oppressed by the government and the patriarchal society.

Of all the issues that were in the middle of reformation mid 1800’s, antislavery, education, intemperance, prison reform, and world peace, women’s rights was the most radical idea proposed. The Seneca Falls Convention of 1848 was a rally held by Elizabeth Cady Stanton with the common goal to eventually achieve equal rights among all citizens. Frederick Douglass, who became an acclaimed activist in the African American Equal Rights movement, accompanied the movement. Moreover, The Declaration of Sentiments was a document that reflected the ideals of the Declaration of Independence, reiterating the sentiment from the Bible that “all men [and women] are created equal.” Concurrent to the publication of this document, for the first time, women insisted that they were men’s equals in every way. The Declaration of Sentiments was pivotal in Women’s history, although it was not given credit until the late 20th century. However, immediately after the Declaration of Sentiments was published, women and activist groups were inspired to take action towards rights for all underprivileged American citizens. The convention took place in a small town in upstate New York, which was home to four of the five people who organized the gathering. (DuBois, 1999, p. 45) This was the first time female equality was discussed in a public place. The Seneca Falls Convention of 1848 was one of the most important events in women’s rights history.

In 1848 a group of women met at the Seneca Falls Convention in New York and began to formulate a demand for the enfranchisement of American women (Women’s Suffrage, 2011). Elizabeth Cady Stanton composed the Declaration of Sentiments, modeled after the Declaration of Independence, stating that “a man should not withhold a woman's rights, take her property or refuse to allow her to vote” (Kelly, 2011, para.3 ). The convention participants spent two days arguing and refining the content of the Declaration of Sentiments, then voted on its contents; the document received support from about one third of the delegates in attendance. The Seneca Falls Convention was not a resounding success, but it “represented an important first step in the evolving campaign for women’s rights” (Tindall & Shi, 2010, p.374, para.1).

The Declaration of Sentiments is a strongly worded document, modeled on the American Declaration of Independence, which indicted the men instead of King George as the oppressor (Walters). It addressed how women, nearly fifty percent of the free Americans, were not being treated fairly. The language in the Declaration of Sentiments is emphatic and creates a negative association of men towards women, she writes in a way that is simplistic and specifically defined. Stanton writes, “…mankind are more disposed to suffer. While evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed (Stanton 70).” She used words like suffer and evil as imagery of the injustice of the patronizing man. Stanton and the contributors wrote this in an unexpected militant and serious tone which was not the typical female gentility, as seen in The Young Lady’s Book. She meant it to be persuasive, influential, and even a little intimidating to spark a reaction from men and women alike. This can be compared to the more instructional style used in The Young Lady’s Book which was subdued to reflect the nature of the cult of domesticity and the “true motherhood”. The book is organized in section based on the material it would cover, in an easy to find guide. It would be assumed that one would search through the book for a specific piece of information. It has a highly

She modeled her Declaration of Sentiments after the Declaration of Independence. The first line of the Declaration of Sentiments and the Declaration of Independence only differed in two words, “and women”. At the convention, the women signed their names on the document. As one of the youngest signers to the Declaration of Sentiments, Charlotte Woodward became the only signer to see her dream come alive at the ballot box. To discourage the women from taking any further actions, newspapers across the country published and ridiculed the Declaration and its signers. Embarrassed by the bad publicity, several women decided to withdraw their name. However, most women were still willing to fight for their cause. The tea party on that hot summer afternoon started an ongoing fight for women’s equality.

The Declaration of Independence was concerned with political freedom, while the Declaration of Sentiments was concerned with the idea of marital freedom. In the Declaration of Sentiments, the husband is described as the woman’s master in the quote “the law giving him power to deprive her of liberty”. Plus, women also didn’t have control over her finances as “He has taken from her all right in property, even to the wages she earns”. Stanton wanted to portray marital equivalence as a basic American freedom. She wanted to promote the married woman’s right to divorce and have custody of her children. This is as she pointed out in the Declaration of Sentiments that “He has so framed the laws of divorce, as to what shall be the proper causes of divorce; in case of separation, to whom the guardianship of the children shall be given; as to be wholly regardless of the happiness of women—the law, in all

will do in the 1800’s, managing their home. Even though Stanton liked where she was they moved to Seneca, Falls and met with her old friend Mott. In 1848, they granted their promise and held the first Women’s Rights Convention, in addition to this, the people who attended this meeting believed or wanted to have equal power as men. In the Convention Stanton drafted the Declaration of Sentiments which is similar to the Declaration of Independence, “the best protection any women can

(Goldfield, 338) Since the cult of domesticity was making women inferior to men, women decided to do as the slaves did and fight for their own freedom. The women’s rights movement began in the mid-1800s. Female and male abolitionist found it necessary that women should be able to have the same rights as men. Just because biologically they are different, it does not mean they do not deserve the same rights. Women were denied the right to vote, property and a right to an education or job. (Goldfield, 338) At first the women’s movement was slow. Many women were afraid to speak out in fear of being shunned by their community. This was a brand new scary task that Women for the first time were going to deal with. A women speaking out against the norms of society was seen as a terrible thing to do. When you have many women speaking out for the same thing a change must be done. When the first national convention for women’s rights was called in Seneca Falls, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott were able to successfully use the Declaration of Independence as a model for their own Declaration of Sentiments. (Goldfield, 339) In their Declaration they branded that “male patriarchy as the source of women’s oppression” (Goldfield, 339) Stanton and Mott called for full women’s rights and to become independent citizens. Although the fight for women’s rights was always an important issue, most abolitionists deemed it less important

On January 18, 1892 Elizabeth C. Stanton made a speech during a Congressional meeting, to enlighten the members about the importance of the Seneca Falls Convention. Her speech reveals that every human soul had the right to liberal education, individual citizenship, and the right to vote. Men view women's role to be the essential part of a household's. Men trust women to raise their children, keep and maintain an orderly house, follow her husband’s command and keep him well. This free nation was made by both man and women, risking everything to have a better life. Women helped build this nation, and they help defend in every way they can, from behind the scenes. Without the strength and determination of women at home, the male soldiers wouldn’t have the resources to stay alive. How do they know to do these things for their country, their family, for themselves. With no education, portrayed as frail, and their beliefs and thoughts represented by another human. But women show they are equal to men in many ways. Why then are men opposed to women holding government positions, sharing a jobs with them, and having the same legal rights like voting. If women are considered citizens, then they are entitled to the same rights in society as all others, according to the fundamental principles of our Government. As Elizabeth C. Stanton asks “Who, i ask you, can take, on himself the rights, the duties, the responsibilities of another human soul?”