The Women's Rights Movement 1848-1920

1086 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The 19th amendment women rifht to vote

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... ... middle of paper ... ...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.

Show More
Related

  • Alice Paul v. Carrie Chapman Catt

    583 Words  | 2 Pages

    "The Women's Rights Movement, 1848–1920." The Women's Rights Movement, 1848-1920. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Dec. 2013. .

    Read More

  • Kathryn Kish Sklar

    823 Words  | 2 Pages

    I have read Kathryn Kish Sklar book, brief History with documents of "Women's Rights Emerges within the Antislavery Movement, 1830-1870" with great interest and I have learned a lot. I share her fascination with the contours of nineteenth century women's rights movements, and their search for meaningful lessons we can draw from the past about American political culture today. I find their categories of so compelling, that when reading them, I frequently lost focus about women's rights movements history and became absorbed in their accounts of civic life.

    Read More

  • Elizabeth Stanton and Eliza Farnham

    530 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • The Social Value of 19th Amendment

    917 Words  | 2 Pages

    "19th Amendment: How far have women in politics come since 1920?." The Christian Science Monitor. The Christian Science Monitor, 18 Aug. 2010. Web. 6 Feb. 2014. .

    Read More

  • Reasoning Behind The 19th Amendment

    1887 Words  | 4 Pages

    Linder, Doug (2007). Women's Fight for the Vote: The Nineteenth Amendment. October 8, 2007, from http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/conlaw/nineteentham.htm.

    Read More

  • The Women's Rights Movement

    788 Words  | 2 Pages

    the Nineteenth Amendment were signed into the Constitution, there granting women the rights to vote.

    Read More

  • The New Republic - Women's Rights

    521 Words  | 2 Pages

    Women began standing up for more rights and realizing that they could be treated better. 1840 the World Anti-slavery Convention in London showed a great example of inferiority of women. Women were denied a seat at the convention because they were women. Women like Elizabeth C. Stanton and Lucretia C. Mott were enraged and inspired to launch the women’s rights movement. Elizabeth Stanton promoted women’s right to vote. “If particular care and attention is not paid to the ladies, we are determined to forment a rebellion and will not hold ourselves bound by any laws in which we have no voice or representation.

    Read More

  • The Similarities and Differences of the 1920’s and 1950’s

    892 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...wo decades was that in the 1920’s women’s rights advocates were able to pass the 19th amendment, granting women suffrage, and increasing political interest among women. Both time periods were difficult ones for minorities and women, though some victories were had.

    Read More

  • Inequality of Women During 1840 to 1968

    1910 Words  | 4 Pages

    Throughout history, women have always fought to gain equal political rights, but conventional roles kept women from getting enough political representation. Many suffrage groups founded by women challenged the conventional roles of women during 1840 to 1968 with the dream of obtaining equal political representation. In 1919, the nineteenth amendment, drafted by Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton was passed. The 19th amendment has been desired by many women for years. Although the 19th amendment passed and women thought that they were able to be equal in politics, many women did not get equal political representation due to their conventional roles at the time period. Women were not able to achieve high roles in politics, shown through the fact that there has never been a woman president in the history of the United States. The presidency of women did not occur due to the perceptions that generally, women should be protected and hidden, not out in the open and leadin...

    Read More

  • The Impact Of The Seneca Falls Convention And Its Impact

    1093 Words  | 3 Pages

    Some of the great women who were willing to deal with those things were Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucretia Mott, Jane Hunt, Mary McClintock, and Martha C. Wright. These women gave this movement, its spark by conducting the first ever women’s rights convention. This convention was held in a church in Seneca Falls in 1848. At this convection they expressed their problems with how they were treated, as being less than a man. These women offered solutions to the problem by drafting the Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions.

    Read More

  • Women's Suffrage Dbq Essay

    647 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the 19th century women began to take action to change their rights and way of life. Women in most states were incapable to control their own wages, legally operate their own property, or sign legal documents such as wills. Although demoted towards their own private domain and quite powerless, some women took edge and became involved in parts of reform such as temperance and abolition. Therefore this ultimately opened the way for women to come together in an organized movement to battle for their own rights in such ways as equal education, labor, legal reform, and the occupations. As stated in the nineteenth amendment, a constitutional revision that established women’s citizen rights to vote.

    Read More

  • Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B Anthony

    392 Words  | 1 Pages

    Susan B. Anthony is the most well known name in women's rights from the 1800s. Most people who are not familiar with the history of this time are aware of Susan's reputation and nearly everyone of my generation has seen and held a Susan B. Anthony silver dollar. For these reasons I was greatly surprised to learn that Elizabeth Cady Stanton was the original women's rights movement spokeswoman and Susan B. Anthony her protégé.

    Read More

  • Women's Rights Dbq

    765 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Women’s Rights Movement was made up by women who felt they were not given equal freedoms as others were in the U.S. This Movement started in the 1840s, this beginning the fight of women's suffrage in

    Read More

  • Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Advocate for Women's Rights

    531 Words  | 2 Pages

    On July 19,1848, in front of 300 women and 40 men, Elizabeth Cady Stanton delivered a speech on women’s rights; Proclaiming “Among the many questions which have been brought before the public, there is none that more vitally effects the whole human family than that which is technically termed Woman’s rights” (par.3). In her speech Stanton accurately displays her distinctive ability to influence public opinion by appropriating ideas from the Bible, establishing her credibility, appealing to the audience’s logic, and invoking the emotional aspects of women’s suffrage in this era.

    Read More

  • Women's Movement Of 1960's

    1213 Words  | 3 Pages

    The entire Women’s Movement in the United States has been quite extensive. It can be traced back to 1848, when the first women’s rights convention was held in Seneca Falls, New York. After two days of discussions, 100 men and women signed the Declaration of Sentiments. Drafted by Elizabeth Cady Stanton, this document called for equal treatment of women and men under the law and voting rights for women. This gathering set the agenda for the rest of the Women’s Movement long ago (Imbornoni). Over the next 100 years, many women played a part in supporting equal treatment for women, most notably leading to the ratification of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, which allowed women the right to vote.

    Read More

More about The Women's Rights Movement 1848-1920

Open Document