“The strongest reason for giving woman all the opportunities for higher education, for the full development of her faculties, complete emancipation from all forms of bondage, of custom, of dependence, of superstition; from all the crippling influences of fear, is the solitude and personal responsibility of her own individual life. To guide our own craft, we must be captain, pilot, engineer; with chart and compass to stand at the wheel; to match the wind and waves and know when to take in the sail, and to read the signs in the firmament over all. It matters not whether the solitary voyager is man or woman.” (Elizabeth Cady Stanton) Elizabeth Cady Stanton’s words ripple through time like a pebble in a pond. Stanton was among the first women to speak out in efforts to obtain equal rights for women.
Elizabeth’s quest for equal rights being granted to women began with her desire to gain her father’s approval. Elizabeth was one of eleven siblings, so naturally she would crave the attention of her parents. Elizabeth had a very strong attachment to her father, who was more compelled to love his sons. During Elizabeth’s childhood her older brother died and she sought to fill his shoes so that her father would love her as he had loved his son. To gain status in her father’s eyes Elizabeth followed the teachings offered only to males. In efforts to gain his acceptance, she remained at the top of her class while attending Johnstown Academy, where she studied among the boys.
Growing up, by her father’s side Elizabeth learned why women were considered inferior to men. During this period in time, Women were not granted any rights compared to men. Women were reared to be homemakers and nothing else. Women were not allowed to go to college; h...
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Stuber, Irene . The Liz Library. 1990-2006. 06 March 2011 http://www.thelizlibrary.org/site-index/site-index- frame.html#soulhttp://www.thelizlibrary.org/undelete/library.html
The Elizabeth Cady Stanton & Susan B. Anthony Papers Project. Gordon, Ann D. July 2009. Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. 06 March 2011 http://ecssba.rutgers.edu/resources/students.html
Ward, Geoffrey G. Not For Ourselves Alone. New York: Random House, Inc., 1999
Women’s Votes, Women’s Voices. Jepsen, David. 2007-2009. Washington State Historical Society. 06 March 2011.
http://stories.washingtonhistory.org/suffrage/People/estanton.aspx
It has been noted that Elizabeth Cady Stanton’s father on several occasions expressed that he wished Elizabeth had been a boy. Even when she excelled in life and completed tasks in attempts to please him, he constantly reminded her it was a shame she was born a girl. His constant reminder expressed to Elizabeth that her father believed that only males could be successful, which merely fueled her ambition to succeed and prove the contrary along with ensuring that other women follow...
From the mouth of Elizabeth Cady Stanton, the author of “Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions,” came the fiercely depicted words that draws a picture of disparity among the treatment between man and woman. She wholeheartedly believed in the justice of having equal representation of the rights of either gender. When she decided, in July of 1848 in Seneca Falls, New York, to present this document to the members of the rudimentary women’s right convention, she knew this would be the colossal beginning for the dissension of gender equality. In addition to being published in the same month of the Declaration of Independence, it also borrowed the structure and intended purpose to create an eye-opening declaration
Elizabeth Cady Stanton was an important element of the Women’s Rights Movement, but not many people know of her significance or contributions because she has been overshadowed by her long time associate and friend, Susan B. Anthony. However, I feel that she was a woman of great importance who was the driving force behind the 1848 Convention, played a leadership role in the women’s rights movement for the next fifty years, and in the words of Henry Thomas, “She was the architect and author of the movement’s most important strategies ad documents.”
Furthermore, Stanton was able to challenge the concept of separate spheres for men and women in her speeches and lectures, gaining great support from women trying to break into the public sphere. In anaylsing the validity of this statement, “We are all benefiting from the great feminists who struggled and suffered and worked to give us everything women now enjoy.” it can be concluded that Stanton was a women who was able to reinvent and influence women’s rights all over the world. She was a feminist who encountered many struggles, leading and influencing thousands of women throughout her career.
Elizabeth Cady Stanton was born into a family of eleven on November 12, 1815 in Johnstown, New York. Elizabeth was passionate about gender equality from a small age. One of the main reasons Elizabeth became so passionate about women’s rights was from an encounter with her father. Since Elizabeth was little, she was aware of the fact that there were gender equality issues in society. Elizabeth’s brother had passed away and one night Elizabeth was sitting on her fathers lap and her father told her that he wished she were a boy. Hearing the statement infuriated Elizabeth and she wanted to do anything she could to prove to her dad that she could do all the same things her brother was capable of doing. She began to take upper level math and language classes, and would win competitions even though she was the only girl in the competition. It was very rare for women to be educated during this time period, but Stanton was considered lucky because she received a good education. Elizabeth married Henry B. Stanton. They had seven kids together. Her passion in women’s equality was rekindled when she was thirty-three years old. Elizabeth Stanton and her husband attended an anti slavery convention in London. During this convention the British excluded the women delegates which made Stanton livid and she knew she needed to take action immediately. She decided, with the help of other women, to hold a women’s right meeting.
"We may say that the dominant ideas in most societies are the ideas of the dominant sex, associated and mingled with those of dominant class." (Chedgzoy, pg.50) During the Elizabethan time men dominated society. Historically speaking males have always held more power then females in most cultures. Although a few cultures were Matriarchal societies. Yet even in these cultures women were not the superior power but were valued as equal to men. Most of the matriarchal societies viewed women as the embodiment of the goddess. Women have never been the sole dominant sex in a society. The fall of the Matriarchal societies occurred mostly from the organization of Christianity. The Christian ideals taught that women were not intended to have influential roles in society. In the Elizabethan era women were in a weak social position. In addition when Shakespeare writes about women he encompasses the complex issues that socially surround females. Shakespeare allows the audience to observe issues that effect their own factual society acted out on stage. At this time the society was definitely patriarchal, where women were viewed as inferior. In addition women had little to no power over there own lives. Fathers viewed their daughters as their propriety. Which left daughters in a powerless position. The power that women did have was their personal sexuality, virginity was prized and seen as a jewel. Once daughters were married their husbands also valued them as propriety. "Marriages were still arranged, as they had been in the Middle Ages, to further the interests of land-owning families. On marriage all the girl's legal rights ceas...
The need for women’s rights began back in colonial America where women were referred to as “inferior beings”. This era, though it is not particularly noted for it’s feminist movements, did hold such people as Margaret Brent, who was a wealthy holder of land in Maryland and was a strong, but unsuccessful voice in securing a place for women in the legislature of the colony. It was also a period where Quakers, and many other individuals, such as famous American patriot, Thomas Paine, supported the rights of women, but at the time it was not enough to make a significant difference and it wasn’t until the 19th century that women would get the real chance to make a difference. One of the main leaders in the Women’s Rights movement was Elizabeth Cady Stanton, who was born in Jamestown, New York on November 12th, 1815 into a strict Presbyterian home. She attended Johnstown Academy, where only boys were admitted, but because of her sex she could not attend colleges that offered higher degrees, so she was accepted into Emma Willard’s academy in Troy, New York where she graduated in 1832.
All women should hold rights equal to men because a society governed by men and women as a unit would promote stability and peace. In “The Destructive Male” written by Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Stanton argues through diction and the employment of ethos, pathos, and logos that giving rights to women, and allowing women to hold positions in politics and government, would be beneficial to the whole of society.
Upon the death of her sister--in November of 1558--Elizabeth ascended to the thrown of England. Until Mary’s rule, no woman--apart from the unrecognized rule of Matilda, daughter of Henry I--had ruled England of her own right1. Much like her sister, Elizabeth began her rule widely accepted and welcomed2. There were, however, still many who felt that women were unable to rule, being that women were said to be the weaker sex. John Knox argued that, “God by the order of his creation hath spoiled women of authority and dominion, [and] also that man hath seen, proved and pronounced just causes why that it so should be.”3 Women had always been no more then property, first to their fathers and then their husbands. If a women were to be the anointed queen of a realm of her own right and then marry, whom was beholden to whom? A woman was to do as instructed by her husband in all things, yet a sovereign was to be under the command of God only.
From a historical point of view, Elizabeth Cady Stanton is a key figure in the women’s rights movement and aided in gaining women’s suffrage. Born in 1815 in Johnstown New York, Stanton was from a young age very involved in women’s rights. After high school Elizabeth got involved in the abolitionist movement, through which she met her husband Henry Stanton a reformer. The two were married in 1840. They moved to Seneca Falls New York in 1847 bringing their innovative thinking with them. There she met Lucretia Mott who served as her mentor in feminism and the abolitionist movement. With Mott and three other women, Stanton helped organize the first Women’s right movement in Seneca Falls in 1848. At this convention the Declaration of Rights and
Gender was the leading cause of distress in the 1500’s: King Henry VIII wanted nothing more than to have a son, yet was “cursed” with the legacy of a sickly son, whom died before the age of 18 and two daughters, one of whom broke every convention of her gender. Queen Elizabeth I never married nor had children, yet can be considered one of England’s most successful monarchs. By choosing King James VI of Scotland as her heir, unbeknownst to her, she created the line that leads to the modern Queen of England, Elizabeth II. The question posed is then, how did Elizabeth I’s gender affect her rule?
Women “were expected to bear children, stay home, cook and clean, and take care of the children” (Cobb 29). They were expected to be weak, timid, domestic, emotional, dependent, and pure. Women were taught to be physically and emotionally inferior in addition morally superior to men. During this time, women were ostracized for expressing characteristics and wants that contradicted those ideals. For women, the areas of influence are home and children, whereas men’s sphere includes work and the outside world” (Brannon 161).
Women’s rights pioneer, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, in her speech, The Destructive Male, expresses her feelings about Women's suffrage in 1868, and brought to light the misconception that women are not equal to man and imply that men bring more destruction than restoration.
Queen Elizabeth I, also known as the “Iron Queen”, was a remarkable woman of her time, she ruled with great power and longevity. She was one of the greatest feminist of time. Coming to the throne in 1558, she took the place of her father, Henry VIII. She was given one of the most difficult jobs fit for a man or King, ruling England. At the time women were second class citizens, they could not vote nor own properties and such. Surprising England with her intelligence and fierce rulings, she changed herself to make better decisions. She proved through her rulings, to everyone that females were strong and could rule just as well as a king. She refused to marry, giving a feeling of “I don’t need a man for anything.” The Queen was responsible for giving females a voice in literature and it is shown through Shakespeare’s writings.
Two hundred years ago, during the reign of Queen Victoria in England, the social barriers of the Victorian class system firmly defined the roles of women. The families of Victorian England were divided into four distinct classes: the Nobility or Gentry Class, the Middle Class, the Upper Working Class, and lastly, the Lower Working class . The women of these classes each had their own traditional responsibilities. The specifics of each woman’s role were varied by the status of her family. Women were expected to adhere to the appropriate conventions according to their place in the social order . For women in Victorian England their lives were regulated by these rules and regulations, which stressed obedience, loyalty, and respect.