Declaration Of Sentiments Analysis

Two members of the anti-slavery and women’s rights groups; Lucy Stone and Henry Blackwell had jointly written a protest that enabled Lucy to keep her maiden name after they were both married. As the law stipulates in Massachusetts, a woman is legally bound to her husband as a subordinate and her husband is the head of their household. Lucy and Henry asserted that they would not comply with the law that gives all rights to the man. (Blackwell & Stone). They had both made a plea to the state of Massachusetts to grant “universal human rights for every person, including woman who see themselves as legally inferior to their husbands. In their letter, they protested against; laws that granted full custody of a wife to her husband; exclusive guardianship of the kids; husband’s sole ownership of his wife’s personal properties. They concluded the letter by saying that the only condition for the forfeiture for an individual’s personal independence and human rights …show more content…
The conference, known as the “Declaration of Sentiments”, held in 1848 and was signed by sixty women and thirty-two men. One interesting thing about the “declaration of Sentiments” was the fact that the resolutions were presented to participants in the same month the America’s Declaration of Independence was declared. (Stanton). In addition to this, it was also fashioned after the Declaration of Independence which asserted the equality of all men and women; endowment of unalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness the text comprised of 15 facts that analyzed the extent of oppression against women, which included inequality in education, employment, divorce laws, and suffrage. At the end of the convention, 12 resolutions were passed which did not include women’s suffrage.