At the Seneca Falls Convention in July 1848, Elizabeth Cady Stanton drafted a document, titled the Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions, that addressed the several issues that women faced in American society. Decades prior to the convention, founding fathers gathered together and wrote the Declaration of Independence, which became an example for the Declaration of Sentiments. Stanton modified a few words and phrases from the Declaration of Independence’s Preamble and Declaration of Natural Rights so that it would match her causes. However, her adaptation of the List of Grievances and the Resolution differed greatly from the original. I believe that Stanton’s motive for mimicking the Declaration of Independence was to take John Locke’s …show more content…
According to The American Journey, the List of Grievances states, “The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States” (TAJ, 164). This sentence was also used in the Declaration of Sentiments but instead of the king being abusive towards colonists, it was mankind that caused harm to women. Another similarity between the two list of grievances is that most of the sentences began with “he has”. In the Declaration of Independence, the colonists were using “he” to refer to the oppressive King George III, in comparison to Stanton who meant for the word “he” to represent men. The Declaration of Independence confronted many wrongs King George III had inflicted on the Colonies such as the inability to trade with other countries, the forceful placement of British troops in homes, the lack of Trial by Jury in several cases, and other unjust decisions. On the other hand, American women endured the power and control that men held over their lives. For instance, husbands were granted ownership of all property that belonged to his wife, including the woman herself, and that resulted in the woman being “...if married, in the eye of the law, socially dead” (DOS, 8). …show more content…
The women and men who were part of the Women’s Rights Movement stated in the Resolution of the Declaration of Sentiments, “...we insist that they have immediate admission to all the rights and privileges which belong to them as citizens of these United States” (DOS, 21). In other words, the reformers were urging Congress to authorize women with all rights that were endowed to men. Congressmen claimed in the Declaration of Independence that the States had the power to “...levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do”(TAJ, 167) and that they were “...Absolved from Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is ought to be totally dissolved…” (TAJ, 167). The authors planned to separate from the British government, in contrast to the activists in the women’s movement, who did not want to become independent from America. Instead, they promised to “employ agents, circulate tracts, petition the State and national Legislatures, and endeavor to enlist the pulpit and the press…” (DOS, 22). In short, the colonists and the activists both desired certain rights, but the colonists were willing to go to war with the British government, unlike the reformers who pledged to fight with peaceful
The Comparison of Two Declarations Thomas Jefferson and Elizabeth Cady Stanton fought for what they believed; which was being free and equal from unjust rule or unjust laws. In the “Declaration of Independence” By Thomas Jefferson; Jefferson writes about his concerns about current Government ruled by the King of Great Britain in the United States and proceeds to list conflicts that many people face in the United States due to the King’s unjust treatment towards its citizens. In the end of the essay he persuades that the United States should separate from the rule of Great Britain. In another essay written like the “Declaration of Independence” comes the “Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions” by Elizabeth Cady Stanton, in Stanton’s essay she writes about issues that women face towards unjust laws. These laws were to prohibit and limit a women’s rights due to the fact they are married to their spouse; an example of these laws was “denied... the facilities for obtaining a through education” (149) to clarify this quotation women weren’t allowed to receive an education due to being married.
The affirmation of rights in the Declarations of 1776 and 1789 brought to the fore two major issues, which fuelled and animated public and legal debate in the subsequent years and in turn soon gave rise to two very important demands ones that were fundamental for the construction of the political communities and societies to come: the abolition of slavery and the end of women’s servitude. In both cases, the central focus obviously lay on the attribution (to slaves and women) of fundamental rights, starting from rights to freedom. There are numerous records attesting to the fact that such moral, political, ideological and theoretical battles were often conducted simultaneously by people who were engaged on both fronts: those who declared to
The colonists during the Revolutionary War wanted to be free from Britain rule and create a new government that would not only protect their citizen’s rights, but one that would not abuse its power. Colonists at this point in time were feeling that the British government had violated their rights since they were passing taxes without the colonists’ consent and not listening at all to the concerns of the colonists. Just like in Document 1 when it states “Sir William Meredith calls it a republic; but in its present state it is unworthy of the name, because the corrupt influence If the crown”. This displays the harsh governing that Britain applied to all of its colonists since they demanded that they stay influenced to the crown. Britain ended up
For example, Jefferson talks about how the King of Great Britain deprived citizens from their rights of House of Representatives because the House opposed to the King’s invasion (7). Likewise, Stanton talks about how men “. . . deprived her of this first right of a citizen, the elective franchise, thereby leaving her without representation in the halls of legislation, he has oppressed her on all side” (7). Therefore, both Jefferson and Stanton explained the harsh treatment of the oppressors, so even after the independence from Britain, women were still deprived of most of their rights.
The freedom they were fighting for did not extend to everyone in the colonies because of the enormous wealth gap and the exclusion of women in many walks of life. The wealth gap within the colonies was drastic, one example being the New York Tenant Riots where “the general condition of so many people in the colonies remained poor and desperate as they watched a small number own huge tracts of land or accumulate fortunes”. While the wealthier colonists claimed that Britain was limiting their ability to make money, many colonists did not have adequate money to subsist. Further, the attitude of the colonial legislatures towards the most impoverished does not allow the freedom the Patriots are fighting for to reach the lower classes. The freedom the colonists fought for not only excludes the lower class, but also the women.
Women were considered inferior to men; they had to rights and most of all no voice. Typically, as the old saying goes ‘they were to be seen and not hear’. Revolutionary Mothers, by Carol Berkin tells of the general stereotypes of women in America, the roles in which they played during the America revolution, and lastly it tells the story of the women through their own words. Stereotypes of Women In chapter one, Berkin states “God had created her to be a helpmate to man….and formed her for this purpose…to be frugal, and obedient (2005, p.4)”.
He also explains that the king has refused to make it possible for someone else to be elected and take his place. The list of grievances shows his audience that Great Britain has been treating them poorly. References to John Locke are utilized to add to the reasons for freedom. Jefferson makes many mentions of John Locke’s beliefs: that God gives men “certain unalienable rights” like
While the Declaration of Independence was written with the intent to convey to Britain that the thirteen colonies were independent states and no longer under their rule, it actually declares that men are equal, and thus have certain rights that cannot be denied to them. Through the list of grievances, Thomas Jefferson exemplifies the colonist’s inborn rights that were denied by the King. Jefferson constantly states how the British government unfairly ruled them with limited representation and would constantly impose actions without their consent, such as when he quartered troops in their homes and cut of their economic activities. Jefferson believed that a Government should support its people and head to its wants and needs in order to become prosperous, rather than being tyrannical and limiting their expansion, both geographically
Elizabeth Cady Stanton was a woman who was denied entry to the World Anti-Slavery Movement because she was a woman. After being denied entry, Stanton realised that women should have just as many rights as men, including women’s suffrage (History.com Staff). When men and women are compared, neither one is greater than the other. We are all equal. Stanton shared the same views stating that we are all equal.
Claim: The Declaration of Sentiments improved on the grievances from the Declaration of Independence. Evidence: The Declaration of Sentiments: The Declaration of Sentiments is a document written by Elizabeth Cady Stanton regarding the 19th Amendment. The Declaration outlines the rights that American women should have.
Elizabeth Cady Stanton grew up in America in the 1800’s and saw just how bad women were treated and knew something had to be done. In “ The Declaration of Sentiments And Resolutions Seneca Falls Conference” and “Solitude of Self,” Stanton uses great examples of how women are being treated unequally. She uses examples such as them not having the right to vote and having what little rights they do have taken away from them by men.through her courageous acts she fought for women's rights. Elizabeth Cady stanton was born in New York on 1815 sadly to her father she was a girl he often told her he wished she was a boy. Stanton grew up in a hard time for women they had nearly no rights and were viewed as unequals to men.
Under the control of the British Parliament in 1775, the American colonies consider going to war in order to gain independence from Britain. In “Patrick Henry’s Speech in the Virginia Convention,” Henry addresses the need for American colonists to work together to stop the British from controlling them. Thus, Henry’s periodic sentence, rhetorical questions, antithesis, and anaphora successfully convince the American colonists to unite against the British and to bring awareness to their wrongdoings. Firstly, Henry applies periodic sentences and rhetorical questions to convey the idea that the American Colonists must fight back against the British by working together if they want to gain freedom. Henry believes that “if [they] wish to
In this article about Stanton I found, Sara Shull states, “Elizabeth Cady Stanton rebelled against the conventions that limited her own self realization and independence. Her words and actions encouraged other women to embrace their autonomy and fight for their self sovereign birthright.” This shows how Stanton went to be a role model for other women and help them fight for their own. Further on, Elizabeth Cady Stanton later wrote, "The general discontent I felt with woman 's portion as wife, housekeeper, physician, and spiritual guide, the chaotic conditions into which everything fell without her constant supervision, and the wearied, anxious look of the majority of women, impressed me with a strong feeling that some active measures should be taken to remedy the wrongs of society in general, and of women in particular. My experience at the World Anti-slavery Convention, all I had read of the legal status of women, and the oppression I saw everywhere, together swept across my soul, intensified now by many personal experiences.
If women continued to gain power and independence then the fabric of society would disintegrate and gender relations would be altered, which men did not want to happen. Americans had a choice of keeping the practices and ideals of the revolution concerning women or maintain the social
while feminism is a wide spread concept today, women’s voice were hardly aired in the early centauries of America history. Some of the acts that show how much the patriarchal system worked in America include the sending of women to Virginia in 1622 (Foner 433)This act showed the dominance of men as this decision was made without the consultation of women at all. The Maryland Act Concerning Religion of 1644 also shades light of how society was governed in the early centauries. The Trial of Anne Hutchinson of 1637 became the first act of women rebellion as a few courageous women aimed to break the long history of men dominance and demanded for a few basic right which included the right to education and say over the society that they also lived in (Foner 502). This also included the right to make simple decision as the right clothes for women to wear and how women were allowed to act in