Women 's Suffrage Movement : Elizabeth Cady Stanton

had 10 brothers and sisters, but only one brother. Her only brother died at the age of

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

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.

Stanton’s passion for women’s rights started to become evident when she studied in her father’s law office. Elizabeth Cady Stanton graduated from Emma Williams Female Seminary in 1833, and then began to study laws and government history in her father’s office (DISCovering Biography 4). While at Judge Cady’s office, Stanton saw a never ending flow of weeping women coming in, all looking for legal help that Judge Cady could not provide. The more women that came in, the more Elizabeth became

Elizabeth Cady Stanton was a suffragist and a leader of the Women's Rights Movement. She organized the Seneca Falls Convention, which was considered as the first women's rights movement in the United States. She wrote The Declaration of Sentiments, which is often called one of the first steps towards women's rights.

(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.

Meeting Lucretia Mott lead to one of Stanton’s greatest accomplishments which was the world’s first women’s rights convention, the Seneca Falls Convention. “The Seneca Falls Convention, a gathering on behalf of women’s rights held in the upstate New York town where Stanton lived, raised the issue of woman’s suffrage for the first time” (Foner 452). This was a huge milestone to spread the word about women 's equality in the United States. It was the first women’s convention, so it gathered a lot of hype and attention to women’s need of rights. There’s no reason why women should not get the right to vote, or the right of education just because their gender. Thankfully, “the convention was the beginning of the 70 year struggle woman’s suffrage” (Foner 453). Stanton helped spread the voice of women and their own ideas about rights. With the men being dominant in the society, it was difficult to lead the way of women 's rights, but the Seneca Falls Convention started it all.

Elizabeth Cady Stanton, born in Johnstown, New York in 1815 and died October 26, 1902 had lived a life full of adventure. She had grown up in a wealthy family in a large house with many servants. Stanton was eight out of eleven children, but five of her siblings had died at a very young age. As a child, Elizabeth’s life was always full of adventure. However, she did not have much of a social life, Elizabeth’s best friend was her cousin who had been seven years older than her who had also been an abolitionist that wanted to end slavery. Ever since Elizabeth had been a young girl, women were considered an inferior order of beings, and she had known all about it. That had never stopped her from doing what she is known best for.

Elizabeth Cady Stanton was one of the most influential activists of the national women’s suffrage movement in the 19th century. After the Civil War, she helped to found the National American Woman Suffrage Association, which strived to break gender inequality by advocating the need for women’s rights (Davis 28). In January 1892, Stanton delivered her speech “The Solitude of

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

Elizabeth Cady Stanton, in an unprecedented movement, raised the concern for the issue of woman's rights. In her day, such matters of "enlightened motherhood", temperance, and abolitionism were seldom taken to heart by the opposite sex. When she spoke at woman's advocacy conventions, anti-feminists and conservative reformers alike censured her. Although her stand on woman's rights was her main interest, it was work in progress toward a larger and more far-fetched goal. Her priorities concerning an idealistic society could be structured as a pyramid. As the foundation, she suggested reform for prisoners and the working class; she opted to eradicate domestic violence against women through the rehabilitation of alcoholic husbands, and not

Judge Cady wanted his daughters to marry men that became familiar with the law, but instead she married secretly Henry Stanton a social reformer in 1840; also went into law to get along with his wife’s parents. They had 7 children in total, 2 girls and 5 boys (Salisbury). Shortly, the Stanton’s traveled to London for an Anti-Slavery Convention and talked more about the participation of women which was denied by the council; Henry Stanton made a huge speech to let women contribute in the meeting but he voted not to let women get involved. Elizabeth met Lucretia Mott and promised to “form a society to advocate the rights of woman” (Salisbury). The Stanton’s moved to Massachusetts and there were more social, cultural, political opportunities (Salisbury). Therefore in every aspect she did, Stanton will do it with pride. For example housekeeping, cooking also any other jobs a woman

Elizabeth Cady Stanton found power through gender solidarity. She was a true feminist concerned with not just suffrage but total equality for the sexes. Her Declaration of Sentiments brilliantly