Bellwork How closely aligned to you think the abolitionist movement was to the women’s rights movement?

Section 10, Unit 5 Women’s Rights American History Section 10, Unit 5 Women’s Rights

Objectives Examine the rights demanded by the early women’s rights activists Identify the reforms that women rights activists achieved and issues that remained unresolved. Explain why middle-class women’s rights groups were unable to gain wide support Read and examine the Declaration of Sentiments

Role of Women Women played a major role in all reform movements. They ran organizations and raised funds, engaged in public speaking, and petitioned legislatures. As they began to join these social movements, women soon began to fight for their own rights.

Abolition and Women’s Rights Two early lecturers of the American Anti-Slavery Society, Sarah and Angelina Grimke, highlight how abolition pushed some women to fight for their own rights.

Abolition and women’s rights The Grimke sisters became abolitionists in the 1820s. They devoted their energies solely against slavery, but overtime they started connected the struggles for abolition to those of women’s rights: “The discussion of the rights of the slave has opened the way for the discussion of other rights, and the ultimate result will most certainly be the breaking of every yoke… an emancipation far more glorious than any the world has ever yet seen.” –Angelina Grimke.

Abolition and women’s rights The Grimkes’ efforts met sharp opposition. Advocates of a woman’s traditional roles– such as Catharine Beecher- criticized women for joining the abolitionist campaigns. These people argued that such public displays by women went “outside the sphere of female duty.” Others, including ministers, believed that women should only be able to influence something though quiet prayers or through their work at home or in Sunday school.

Abolitionists and women’s rights However, the Grimkes refused to stop. They argued that “men and women are created equal” and that whatever is right for a man to do is right for a woman as well. Anything less, in their eyes, was a violation of human rights.

Declaration of Rights The link between abolition and women’s rights endured as the call for equal rights for women strengthened in the 1840s. Two abolitionists who became leading supporters of women’s rights were Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott. Lucretia Mott

Declaration of Rights Stanton and Mott were both troubled by women's status in America. They were denied the right to vote, were second-class citizens, had less access to education, and were generally paid less than their male counterparts. Married women also had few rights– they could barely keep their earnings and if they were divorced, could not get custody of the children.

Declaration of Rights Stanton and Mott became aware of injustices against women when they attended the World’s Anti-slavery Convention in London in 1840. Convention officials refused to allow women to speak and, due to this, Stanton and Mott agreed that after that convention they would launch a movement to end the discrimination against women. Elizabeth Stanton

Seneca Falls Convention Their efforts led to the first U.S. women’s rights convention in Seneca Falls, New York, in 1848. More than 300 women attended, which marked the birth of the organized women’s right movement in the U.S. The convention, by the end, adopted the Declaration of Sentiments.

Declaration of Sentiments Please take a copy of the Declaration of Sentiments and begin reading. Consider the following while reading: What rights do the women want? Are these rights similar to other rights? Who do the women seem to have grievances against?

Declaration of Sentiments The Declaration of Sentiments was designed to follow the ideals of the Declaration of Independence. The document called for: Equality for men and women Reforms to strengthen women’s legal position (such as married women being able to get property and children after a divorce) Voting rights

Declaration of Sentiments The Declaration of Sentiments voiced the discontent of women of the time for all the public to see.

Suffrage The most fiercely debated issue at the Seneca Falls Convention was suffrage– the right to vote. Stanton said that attaining the right to vote was crucial for winning full equality because it gives women the ability– just like men– to have a voice in the laws of the nation.

Suffrage Opponents of women’s suffrage said demanding to vote was too radical. Most people agreed with Catharine Beecher (the reformer who opposed women’s rights) when she said that women should not participate in politics. Others believed that such a unpopular demand might jeopardize support from influential politicians.

Women’s Rights Activism While some women called for suffrage, most women from the Seneca Falls Convention instead devoted most of their time to legal reforms laid out in the Declaration of Sentiments. To achieve these goals, the activists organized a system of local organizations and held women’s rights conferences.

Women’s rights activism An important women’s rights activist of the time was Susan B. Anthony– a Quaker from a family who affirmed the equality of men and women. She began to be a vocal advocate for women’s rights after she was prevented from speaking at a temperance convention for being a woman.

Women’s rights activism Due to her being stopped for being a woman, Anthony pushed for women’s rights believing that women couldn’t help in reform movements if they don’t have political rights. At Elizabeth Cady Stanton’s urging, Anthony dedicated her life for women’s rights. She organized petitions, meetings, campaigns, and raised money for the cause.

Legal Reforms Anthony, Stanton, Mott, and Sojourner Truth also argued for legal reforms that would benefit women. One of these reforms– women’s right to own and control their property- had first been proposed by middle class men. Some fathers supported this to prevent their land from falling into the hands of “untrustworthy” son-in-laws.

Response In response to calls for reform, New York and other states revised their laws to permit married women to own property, file lawsuits, and retain their earnings. However, suffrage and other legal rights would be slow to come. While women began to push for rights in 1848, they did not gain the constitutional power to do so until 1920.

Legacy Regardless of how long it took women to get certain rights, the women’s rights activists of the mid-1800s initiated (and set the groundwork for) the women’s rights movement that has existed for over century to today.

Questions? If you have any questions, please ask now.

Next lesson In the next lesson, we are going to discuss westward expansion after the purchase of Louisiana.

Review How successful were women’s rights activists in achieving their reforms? Give an example of a long term impact of the movement. What was the connection between the abolitionist movement and the women’s rights movement (i.e. how did the movement come out of the abolitionist movement)? What was the outcome of the Seneca Falls Convention? What is “suffrage” and why did the activists push for it? Why were many women– including some activists– concerned about the demand for suffrage? What was the Declaration of Sentiments? What did it demand?