Sunday Favorites: The Beginning of the Woman's Suffrage Movement

I am inspired to write about the heroes of the Women's Suffrage Movement because, until recently, I never heard about most of them. This week, we will discuss Elizabeth Cady Stanton. She organized a convention, 72 years before the 19th Amendment passed that jump started the suffrage movement.

Cleverly promoted as a convention about ”a woman’s role in society“ in order suppress mainstream attention, the Seneca Falls Convention in New York is considered the launching point of the Women’s Suffrage Movement. It was there that Elizabeth Cady Stanton, one of the event organizers, addressed a group of 200 women, according to the ”Heroes of Suffrage,“ by the Herald Tribune.

”We have met here today to discuss our rights and wrongs, civil and political, and not, as some have supposed, to go into the detail of social life alone,“ Stanton said.

In her keynote address she introduced a concept called ”Declaration of Sentiments.“ The proposal would amend several references in the U.S. Constitution that asserted Ôall men’ were created equally, but had no mention of women. Stanton also addressed many controversial obstructions, like divorce laws and educational restrictions, that kept women from fulfilling their true potential.

”Now is the time for women of this country,“ she said. ”The same religious enthusiasm that nerved Joan of Arc to her work nerves us to ours.“

Born in New York in 1815 in Johnstown, N.Y., Stanton was the daughter of Margaret Livingston and Daniel Cady, two of the city’s most prominent citizens. Her parents spared no expense when it came to her education; Stanton attended Johnstown Academy and Emma Willard’s Troy Female Seminary. In addition, her father, an attorney by trade, often discussed legal issues with Stanton. She gained even more insight into the judiciary system by eavesdropping on his conversations with clients, according to the National Women’s History Museum.

In 1840, Stanton married Henry Stanton, an abolitionist who was very active in the anti-slavery movement. The two spent their honeymoon at the World’s Anti-Slavery Convention in London. It was there she met Lucretia Mott. Although both supported the cause, the two women were disappointed at the exclusion of women’s rights at the convention. They vowed to organize a convention of their own which would solely dedicated to addressing women’s rights.

In 1851, Stanton met another like-minded individual, Susan B. Anthony. The two collaborated on many speeches, articles and books. Stanton remained committed to the suffrage movement, but her growing family prevented her from traveling. She wrote speeches for Anthony, who became the promotional face of their partnership.

Both Stanton and Anthony campaigned for the 13^th Amendment, which abolished slavery. However, both women opposed the 14^th and 15^th Amendments that gave black men the right to vote, as they believed it should also include women. This caused a rift for many of their civil rights supporters. Because of this, they formed the National Women’s Suffrage Association in 1869.

With her seven children out of the house, Stanton began campaigning across the county. Her article ”The Revolution,“ which was published in the NWSA’s journal inspired women across the country to unite and advocate for their right to vote.

In the 1880s Stanton recognized the efforts of the women in towns across the nation in her book ”The History of Women’s Suffrage (1881-85). Despite the fact that women had not gained the right to vote, the book was significant for several reasons. It empowered the women involved in smaller, grass-root efforts while also serving as a historical reference still used today. Her book ”The Women’s Bible,“ which asserted that masculine theology in religion suppressed women, and her autobiography, ”Eighty Years and More,“ were also highly regarded. Stanton died in 1902, just 18 years before women earned the right to vote.