Seneca Falls Convention: Lucretia Mott, And Elizabeth Cady Stanton

Many of the rights we are given today are because of the various reform movements that took place in the mid-1800s. Some of these reform movements are the women’s suffrage movement, the abolition of slavery, the prison reform, and the educational reform. The Seneca Falls Convention, which was organized by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott, and the Declaration of Sentiments, began the women’s rights movement. Women gained their right to vote through the 19th Amendment which was passed by congress and ratified in 1920.

Another woman that started the Seneca Falls Convention was Elizabeth Cady Stanton. She was known as an early leader of the woman’s right movement and wrote the Declaration of Sentiments that argued for female equality and have women be granted the right to vote. Stanton was an abolitionist and a leading figure for the early woman’s movement. She worked closely with Susan B. Anthony as she was the president of the National Woman Suffrage Association. In 1832, she graduated from Emma Willard's Troy Female Seminary.

Lucretia Coffin Mott, was a woman who shaped the beginning of the women’s rights movement and was a part of the abolitionist movement in America. Lucretia Coffin was born 1793, in Nantucket, Massachusetts (Today in History, January 3). She grew up on the island Nantucket, which is historically neutral (it remained neutral during the revolutionary war) due to the large number of Quakers. She began schooling at the Nine Partners, where she studied English grammar, literature (no works of fiction), geography and twice a week they would attend a Quaker meeting. Lucretia Mott learn of the horrors of slavery during her years at Nine partners, through a man named Elias Hicks, who presented his views of lobbying against slavery to the ears of Nine

Two abolitionists began to organize one of the first movements, “ It was not until 1848 that the movement for women’s rights launched on a national level with a convention in Seneca Falls, New York, organized by abolitionists Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott”(History19). This movement consisted of over 300 women and some men, who were former African-American slaves. They made a statement in Seneca Falls, New York and most of the Seneca delegates agreed that women deserved their own political identities. After this convention, the press mocked women and the delegates that agreed. Naturally, some women would give up after this, but they came back

Susan B. Anthony once said, “The day may be approaching when the whole world will recognize women as the equal of man.” That day will come, but many obstacles are in the way of women fulling earning their rights. Women had many viewpoints back in the 19th century ranging from slavery to presidential campaigns, but could never voice their opinions due to not having the rights to do so. Not having the rights to voice their opinions lead women to an abolitionism that inspired a movement for women’s rights leading to Seneca Falls Convention. The impact of Seneca Falls Convention caused a national movement in women’s rights.

Moreover, Seneca Falls convention was promoted for anti-slavery activist, whom, for that reason, were

The antislavery convention of American Women in New York City in May 1837 was one of several conventions that were held, addressing the concept of abolition. During this time period, there were several groups of men and women who were interested in getting rid of the institution of slavery, driven by different motives. Document 5, of Chapter 6, contains several of the resolutions established by the women attending the convention regarding the ideas of slavery as a moral wrong, and that people were obligated to perform their duty in helping others achieve their freedom. The women attending the convention, including Angelina Grimké, Sarah Grimké, Mary Cox, Lydia Child, Martha Storrs and many others, were allowed to participate in this convention

Middle-class women made up the majority of reformers as many people saw it as a logical extension of the women’s role as the nurturer of society. The influence of woman on the movement can be seen in the reformers focus on home life and moral issues such as temperance, prostitution, education, prison and asylum reform. The movement hoped to make society purer. Eventually, abolition, the movement for the abolition of slavery and equal rights for African slaves, dominated the reform movement with Women taking joining in many key leadership positions (T 362). The existence and activities of the Female Anti-Slavery Society showed female influence on abolition.

The Women’s Rights Movement originated from the public protest meeting in Seneca Falls, New York in 1848. Many at the meeting were skeptical about the demands being made to allow women to exercise the right to participate in government and vote. Elizabeth Cady Stanton, the primary organizer of the meeting, remembered that many attending, including radical Lucretia Mott, thought that the demand was too far advanced for the time. They believed that advocating for political equality was also “too morally questionable” to include in this movement

Further, in 1848 women held the first woman's rights convention in Seneca Falls, New York to “discuss the social, civil, and religion conditions and rights of woman.” This convention was a big advancement for women; however, women were still ahead of their time and unable to secure their right to vote. Hence, utopianism, temperance, and women’s rights movements had a limited effect during the Antebellum Period. Next, as some movements were limited, there were additionally various significant reforms.

Women in this time were expected to be the ones to take care of their children so even if there was an opportunity to get a job the wife normally couldn’t since most wives were stay-at-home wives. The husbands are normally seen as the man of the house and this was especially true in the late 1800s. They were known to be the ones who were in control of everything and the women had to listen to them because that was expected of them. So when their husbands didn’t allow them to obtain a job the wives had no choice but to listen to them. The husband preferred for their wives to take care of their child since there was nobody else that could take care of them and that was a norm for women.

This showed that they were invisible even in their marriage, The women’s movement promoted the support which eventually resulted in the Married Women’s Property Act. The act states what a married woman can’t and can do in a marriage (Doc 6). Something they must do is to take their husband’s name after marriage. Lucy Stone was an abolitionist and

In 1848 Black women made their first bid for equality in meetings with black men. “At one meeting of the National Convention of Colored Freedmen in Cleveland, Ohio a black woman proposed that women delegates be allowed to speak and vote as equals, eventually, they reclassified eligible voters as “persons” instead of men and women were allowed to participate equally”. Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Stanton changed the 15th Amendment by supporting that it should voting rights to former slaves, and that it should also include women. The northern part of the country often gave more rights to black women, the southern part of the country was sadly more close minded and still saw women as incapable and not as good as men. During the Civil War white and free black women in the North established soldiers’ aid societies.

Women were subject to a wide-ranging discrimination that marked them as secondary citizens, which is what gilderlehrman.org says. “She had no right to own property in her own name or to pursue career of her choice.” In addition, the article states, “Women could not vote, serve on juries, or hold public office.” Women didn’t have any rights that they wanted and were mostly not allowed to do anything which is unfair. A married woman had no separate legal identity from that of her husband.

They held many meetings and conventions to discuss about how they were going to fight for their rights. " In July 1848, the Women’s Rights Convention was held in Seneca Falls, N.Y. It was the opening salvo of the battle for women’s suffrage, although many years would pass before its proponents would finally achieve victory" ("Women 's Rights Convention"). This was one of the first steps in the road to freedom for women. They also had many supporters to make the United States of America pass the law for women to vote and have the rights men have.