Elizabeth Cady Stanton
Elizabeth Cady Stanton is one of my heroines. Along with all players in the women’s suffrage movement. I never take my vote for granted and in celebration of them, for Women’s History Month, I will share a little about them in this post.
Let me tell you (briefly) about the Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions that started those brave women on an incredible journey. A journey that affects all of us and one that I (honestly) celebrate every year on the anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment.
In 1848 what became the first women’s convention occurred in Seneca Falls, New York. The intended program was for speakers to express their views on women’s rights and be a formal effort to improve the quality of life for women. The primary organizers of the convention, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott also presented the Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions.
The declaration was a guideline for future action by women. The women used the Declaration of Independence as a model for their document, the opening paragraphs patterned very closely after the original.
“We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men and women are created equal.”
The Declaration of Sentiments was followed by a list of resolutions, demanding that women be allowed to speak in public, be accorded equal treatment under the law and, at the insistence of Cady Stanton, be granted the vote. The convention at Seneca Falls is considered by many historians to be the point at which the organized fight for women’s rights began in America.
That. Is so exciting!
Elizabeth Cady Stanton and others were insightful, intelligent women who took the lead in asking for women’s rights and suffrage. They toured the country for years giving lectures and assisting suffrage groups. Cady Stanton also had six children! She took care of her kids and cleaned her house (with Susan B. Anothy’s help some days) and in every spare minute, she worked and fought for women’s rights.
Many of the grievances and demands stated in the Declaration of Sentiments have, obviously, come to pass. Women have the right to vote. The right to personal property. The right to advanced education is now taken for granted. Obviously, though, and sadly, many points are still being worked on and unless you live under a rock, you know that we’ve reverted decades in the last few years.
Many of the particulars have changed over time but the male prejudice remains and devolves daily. The fight for full women’s rights will continue indefinitely and I hope you are a part of it. Never take your vote for granted. Never waste it or your voice. Do your research. What matters to you and what will matter to your kids? Just like Elizabeth Cady Stanton, you could be someone’s heroine one day.