Elizabeth Cady Stanton

Early Activism

In 1843 Henry Stanton was admitted to the bar. Henry and Elizabeth moved to Boston in order for Henry to practice law. This gave Elizabeth the chance to meet many "noble men and women among reformers." During the winter in Boston Elizabeth attended every lecture, church, theater, concert, and prison-reform convention she could. In the summers they went to Chelsea and stayed with Rev. John Wesley Olmstead, a Baptist minister, soon to be the editor of The Watchman and Reflector. Rev. Olmstead was married to Elizabeth's cousin Mary Livingston. In 1843 Daniel Cady moved to Albany. This enabled Elizabeth to stay winters at the Capital and become involved in the discussion of the Married Woman's Property Bill which at the time was pending in the legislature. The bill would not pass until 1848.

In March of 1844 Elizabeth's second son was born in Albany but the Stanton's returned to Chelsea where Elizabeth took up housekeeping. They purchased a new house, and new furniture. The house had beautiful views of Boston Bay and Elizabeth felt that she had all she could want for. She was very proud of her new home and her occupations as wife, mother, and housekeeper. Henry was starting a new business which kept him away a lot so Elizabeth kept herself occupied. In 1847 Henry, Elizabeth, and their three children moved to Seneca Falls, N.Y. They would live in Seneca Falls for sixteen years and have four additional children.

Elizabeth's life became somewhat depressing when she moved to Seneca Falls because she lived outside of town and did not have the circle of friends that she had in Boston. Additionally, Henry was away a lot and her servants weren't as effective as the ones she had in Boston. Also, her children had increased in number leaving her with very little free time. The idea of running a proper and orderly home had grown old. Elizabeth felt as if she "suffered with mental hunger, which, like an empty stomach, is very depressing." She states in her autobiography that "the general discontent I felt with woman's portion as wife, mother, housekeeper, physician, and spiritual guide, the chaotic conditions into which everything fell without her constant supervision ... 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 (Stanton, 1993/1898).

With her recent personal experiences Elizabeth became compelled to have a public meeting to protest the legal wrongs and oppressions of women. Elizabeth went to visit her friend Lucretia Mott and they decided to call this public meeting "Woman's Rights Convention." They wrote the announcement that same day and published it in the Seneca County Courier the following day. The announcement read as follows: "A Convention to discuss the social, civil, and religious condition and rights of women will be held in the Wesleyan Chapel, at Seneca Falls, N.Y., on Wednesday and Thursday, the 19th and 20th of July current; commencing at 10 o'clock A.M. During the first day the meeting will be exclusively for women, who are earnestly invited to attend. The public generally are invited to be present on the second day, when Lucretia Mott, of Philadelphia, and other ladies and gentlemen, will address the Convention."(Copied from:http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/seneca-falls-convention-begins). Click Here to learn more about the convention.

The main managers of the event were: Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucretia Mott, Mary Ann McClintock, Jan Hunt, and Martha C. Wright. After the Seneca Falls Convention, Elizabeth agreed to attend another convention in Rochester. From there she attended a series of conventions that took place each year. She was invited to speak at several locations and Quaker meeting houses in the neighborhood. In her autobiography Elizabeth states that after she became involved in speaking at the conventions that with these "new duties and interest, and a broader outlook on human life, my petty domestic annoyances gradually took a subordinate place." She had begun to write articles, letters to conventions, and private letters to engage people in thinking about women's issues.

(Stanton, 1993/1898), ( Buhle, M.J. &Buhle. P), & (Gurko, 1974)

The Declaration of Sentiments from the Seneca Falls Convention, 1848

When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one portion of the family of man to assume among the people of the earth a position different from that which they have hitherto occupied, but one to which the laws of nature and of nature's God entitles them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes that impel them to such a course.

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; that to secure these rights governments are instituted, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. Whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of those who suffer from it to refuse allegiance to it, and to insist upon the institution of a new government, laying its foundation on such principles, and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness. Prudence indeed, will dictate that governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shown that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they were accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism, it is their duty to throw off such government, and to provide new guards for their future security. Such has been the patient sufferance of the women under this government, and such is now the necessity which constrains them to demand the equal station to which they are entitled.

The history of mankind is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations on the part of man toward woman, having in direct object the establishment of an absolute tyranny over her. To prove this, let facts be submitted to a candid world.

He has never permitted her to exercise her inalienable right to the elective franchise.

He has compelled her to submit to laws, in the formation of which she had no voice.

He has withheld from her rights which are given to the most ignorant and degraded men-both natives and foreigners.

Having 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 sides.

He has made her, if married, in the eyes of the law, civilly dead.

He has taken from her all right in property, even to the wages she earns.

He has made her, morally, an irresponsible being, as she can commit many crimes with impunity, provided they be done in the presence of her husband. In the covenant of marriage, she is compelled to promise obedience to her husband, he becoming, to all intents and purposes, her master-the law giving him power to deprive her of her liberty, and to administer chastisement.

He has so framed the laws of divorce, as to what shall be the proper causes, and in case of separation, to whom the guardianship of the children shall be given, as to be wholly regardless of the happiness of women-the law, in all cases, going upon a false supposition of the supremacy of man, and giving all power into his hands.

After depriving her of all rights as a married woman, if single, and the owner of property, he has taxed her to support a government which recognizes her only when her property can be made profitable to it.

He has monopolized nearly all the profitable employments, and from those she is permitted to follow, she receives but a scanty remuneration. He closes against her all the avenues to wealth and distinction which he considers most honorable to himself. As a teacher of theology, medicine, or law, she is not known.

He has denied her the facilities for obtaining a thorough education, all colleges being closed against her.

He allows her in Church, as well as State, but a subordinate position, claiming Apostolic authority for her exclusion from the ministry, and with some exceptions, from any public participation in the affairs of the Church.

He has created a false public sentiment by giving to the world a different code of morals for men and women, by which moral delinquencies which exclude women from society, are not only tolerated, but demand of little account in man.

He has usurped the prerogative of Jehovah himself, claiming it as his right to assign for her a sphere of action, when that belongs to her conscience and her God.

He has endeavored, in every way that he could, to destroy her confidence in her own powers, to lessen her self-respect, and to make her willing to lead a dependent and abject life.

Now, in view of this entire disfranchisement of one-half the people of this country, their social and religious degradation-in view of the unjust laws above mentioned, and because women do feel themselves aggrieved, oppressed, and fraudulently deprived of their most sacred rights, we insist that they have immediate admission to all the rights and privileges which belong to them as citizens of the United States.

In entering upon the great work before us, we anticipate no small amount of misconception, misrepresentation, and ridicule; but we shall use every instrumentality within our power to effect our object. We shall employ agents, circulate tracts, petition the State and National legislatures, and endeavor to enlist the pulpit and the press in our behalf. We hope this Convention will be followed by a series of Conventions in every part of the country.

WHEREAS, The great precept of nature is conceded to be, that "man shall pursue his own true and substantial happiness." Blackstone in his Commentaries remarks, that his law of Nature being coeval with mankind, and dictated by God himself, is of course superior in obligation to any other. It is binding over all the globe, in all countries and at all times; no human laws are of any validity if contrary to this, and such of them as are valid, derive all their force, and all their validity, and all their authority, mediately and immediately, for this original; therefore,

RESOLVED, That such laws which prevent women from occupying such a station in society as her conscience shall dictate, or which places her in a position inferior to that of man, are contrary to the great precept of nature, and therefore of no force or authority.

RESOLVED, That woman is man's equal-was intended to be so by the Creator, and the highest good of the race demands that she such be recognized as such.

RESOLVED, That the women of this country ought to be enlightened in regard to the laws under which they live, that they may no longer publish their degradation by declaring themselves satisfied with their present position, nor their ignorance, by asserting that they have all the rights they want.

RESOLVED, That inasmuch as man, while claiming for himself intellectual superiority, does accord to woman moral superiority, it is pre-eminently his duty to encourage her to speak and teach, as she has an opportunity, in all religious assemblies.

RESOLVED, That the same amount of virtue, delicacy, and refinement of behavior that is required of woman in the social state, should also be required of man, and the same transgressions should be visited with equal severity on both man and woman.

RESOLVED, That the objection of indelicacy and impropriety, which is so often brought against woman when she addresses a public audience comes with a very ill-grace from those who encourage, by their attendance, her appearance on the stage, in the concert, or in feats of the circus.

RESOLVED, That woman has too long rested satisfied in the circumscribed limits which corrupt customs and a perverted application of the Scriptures have marked out for her, and that it is time she should move in the enlarged sphere which her great Creator has assigned her.

RESOLVED, That it is the duty of the women of this country to secure to themselves their sacred right to the elective franchise.

RESOLVED, That the equality of human rights results necessarily from the fact of the identity of the race in capabilities and responsibilities.

RESOLVED, That the speedy success of our cause depends upon the zealous and untiring efforts of both men and women, for the overthrow of the monopoly of the pulpit, and for the securing to woman an equal participation with men in the various trades, professions, and commerce.

RESOLVED, THEREFORE, That being invested by the Creator with the same capabilities, and the same consciousness of responsibility for their exercise, it is demonstrably the right and duty of woman, equally with man, to promote every righteous cause by every righteous means; and especially in regard to the great subjects of morals and religion, it is self-evidently her right to participate with her brother in teaching them, both in private and in public, by writing and by speaking, by instrumentalities proper to be used, and in any assemblies proper to be held; and in being a self-evident truth growing out of the divinely implanted principles of human nature, any custom or authority adverse to it, whether modern or wearing the hoary sanction of antiquity, is to be regarded as a self-evident falsehood, and at war with mankind.

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Click Here to read about Elizabeth's later years.

For More information and documents related to the Seneca Falls Convention click Here.

Suffrage Timeline: http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/vfwhtml/vfwtl.html

The Seneca Falls Convention

The historic meeting took place at the Wesleyan Church chapel in Seneca Falls. Despite the plan to have the first day for women only, a large crowd of both men and women sought entry to the locked chapel. A male professor from Yale volunteered to enter through an open window and once the doors were opened, the crowd streamed in. Approximately 100 to 300 people were in attendance, including many men who supported the idea of women's rights. Although the majority was Caucasian, there were also some African Americans in attendance. Because none of the women felt capable of overseeing the proceedings, James Mott presided.

On the first day, Elizabeth Cady Stanton presented the organizers' Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions. The Seneca Falls declaration was carefully patterned on the Declaration of Independence that had been crafted by the colonial revolutionaries. The declaration written primarily by thomas jefferson stated that all men are created equal. The Seneca Falls declaration held that "all men and women" are created equal and are endowed with inalienable rights including life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The Declaration of Independence listed 18 charges against George III, the king of England. The Declaration of Sentiments described 18 charges of "repeated injuries and usurpations on the part of man toward woman" including the denial of the right to vote, unfair laws regarding separation and divorce, and inequality in regard to religion, education, and employment. It stated the hope that the convention in Seneca Falls would be followed by a series of conventions throughout the country. The 12 resolutions enunciated in the Declaration of Sentiments called for the repeal of laws that enforced unequal treatment of women, the recognition of women as the equals of men, the granting of the right to vote, the right for women to speak in churches, and the equal participation of women with men in "the various trades, professions, and commerce."

After much discussion and debate, the Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions was passed largely as written. The biggest obstacle was the resolution that called for women's right to vote, known as woman suffrage. Numerous attendees, men and women alike, felt that the right to vote was too radical an idea to gain public acceptance. Lucretia Mott was open to discarding the resolution, but Stanton held firm with strong support from the prominent African–American abolitionist frederick douglass. After Douglass

stated that "Suffrage is the power to choose rulers and make laws, and the right by which all others are secured," the woman suffrage resolution passed by a very narrow margin.

After two days of vigorous discussion and debate, 100 women and men signed the Seneca Falls Declaration, although some later removed their names after being subjected to intense criticism. A storm of sarcasm and protest broke out after the convention prompting Frederick Douglass to write that a discussion of animal rights would have brought forth less opposition than a call for women's rights. James Gordon Bennett, publisher of the widely read New York Herald, published the entire declaration as a gesture of ridicule. Welcoming the publicity, Stanton and many of the Seneca Falls attendees hailed Bennett's move as a way to disseminate their message on a broader scale.

Copied from: http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Seneca_Falls_Convention_1848.aspx

In 1851 Elizabeth Stanton was introduced to Susan B. Anthony by Amelia Bloomer. Mrs. Anthony was walking to a friend's house and Elizabeth was walking home, both had just attended an antislavery meeting. They stopped on the street corner to talk. The women took an instant liking to each other. Later that same day they spent hours discussing temperance, abolition, and women's rights. Elizabeth and Susan formed a life-long friendship from this point on. Elizabeth Cady Stanton was an excellent public speaker and writer while Susan B. Anthony was good at collecting and organizing facts, assembling materials, and organizing meetings. In the early years because Elizabeth had family demands that Susan did not, Elizabeth would write the speeches and Susan Anthony would deliver them. After Elizabeth was able to travel more, Susan would arrange the meetings and Elizabeth would take the stage and give enthusiastic speeches. In 1852 Stanton and Anthony founded the Women's New York State Temperance Society. In 1856 Susan B. Anthony became an agent of the American Anti-Slavery Society.

(Gurko, 1974) & ( Stanton, 1993/1898) & (http://ecssba.rutgers.edu/)

This outfit was called Bloomers, named after Amelia Bloomer. Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony both wore these outfits beginning in 1851. The outfits made people view them as radicals. Later, the women stopped wearing them to their speeches because they wanted people to listen to their views and not discount them because of their outfits.

(Gurko, 1974)