Elizabeth Cady Stanton: The Enfranchinance Of A Women's Independence

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Elizabeth Cady Stanton once said, "When I am crowned with all the rights, privileges, and immunities of a citizen, I may give some consideration to this social institution; but until then I must concentrate all my energies on the enfranchisement of my own sex” (Stanton 172). Stanton provides a voice for all women who could not speak for themselves. From the beginning of childhood, Stanton recognized the imbalances between sexes and wants to make a difference. Into adulthood, she continuously enlightened her audiences philosophically through her orations and writings. Rising to prominence in the 19th century, Stanton disproved norms by shedding light on the importance of a woman’s independence. From this alone, Elizabeth Cady Stanton's activism…show more content…
Elizabeth came from a wealthy and political family. Her father, Daniel Cady, was a well-known lawyer who “served in Congress, on the New York state legislature, and as a judge on the New York state Supreme Court”; while her mother came from a wealthy family whose members “included a hero of the American Revolutionary War” (Encyclopedia of World Biography 1). With her father’s legal background and her mother’s lineage of descending heroes, Stanton was destined to be successful. At a young age, Stanton developed a strong desire in wanting to participate in the rights and duties of government by spending countless hours in her father’s office reading laws that objectified women. In the nineteenth century, it was known that women and men belonged to two culturally separate social spheres. Women tended to the duties of the home, while men worked and participated in social activities. According to author, Robert M. Shoemaker, women “needed to behave circumspectly, adopting an easy dignity. But not that confident ease, that unabashed countenance that alienates men” (Shoemaker 30) when speaking publicly. However, Stanton proved to take a…show more content…
The Woman’s Bible was formulated and codified by Stanton as “women's commentaries on women's position in the Old and New Testaments” (Stanton 9) Controversially, Stanton boldly challenged the Christian bible on how a woman should not be subservient to men. The Declaration of Sentiments, a document that was created and signed at the Seneca Falls Convention in 1848, served as a speech to model the Declaration of Independence. Stanton renovates one of the most quoted pieces of the historical document by stating: “We hold these truths to be self-evident; that all men and women are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” (Stanton 1) Note, the additive of women included with men presents morally and ethically that all women are equal to men. In The Solitude of Self, Stanton addresses the “humanistic underpinnings of the feminist movement, as they had never been addressed before”(Kiss 3). Stanton carefully articulates her speech in a way to connect with her male audience so they can understand a woman’s life journey as one that is conducted alone. She reiterates that a woman should be non-reliant upon a man. In addition, according to Lisa Shawn Hogan, a doctor at Indiana University, the speech is considered a
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