Lois W. Banner, the author of Elizabeth Cady Stanton: A Radical for Women’s Rights and ten other books including “Intertwined Lives: Margaret Mead, Ruth Benedict, and Their Circle” which received Israel Fishman Non-fiction award from Stonewall Book Awards and Lambda Literary Award for Biography. She wrote a biography of Elizabeth Cady Stanton, a social activist, American suffragist, feminist, abolitionist, and one of the leading figure of the early women’s right movement. Elizabeth was born on November 12, 1815, in Johnstown, New York, and she became an expressive writer. She wrote the Declaration of Sentiments which was a revolutionary call for women’s rights. Her words and actions inspired other women to fight for their self-sovereign birthright
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She used her as a symbol of empowerment and equality. Gender equality was a great issue in the past where women cannot freely do everything they pleases. They are inferior to men, physically, socially, and politically. The idea was men and women are both human beings and the only difference was the gender, but the freedom and rights are different. Banner pointed out that even when Elizabeth adopted the argument that human history had originated in peaceful, democratic, matriarchal societies which were destroyed by aggressive, dictatorial, patriarchal ones, she contended that the final goal of history would not be a return to the rule of women but rather to the “amphiarchate,” the combined rule of men and women (78). She also explained that the inferiority of women was very common because in the United States, women were more emotional, less intelligent, or more prone to illness than men because society had made them so by denying them an education, a profession, exercise, and sensible clothing …show more content…
Banner mentioned that Elizabeth once put her strength to the test when she was pregnant with her fifth child, Margaret, and decided to challenge the standard belief that childbirth was the supreme example of woman’s weak physiology by proving it was a natural experience. She regularly exercised, and she took a three mile walk the night before the birth. With only a housekeeper and a nurse present, she delivered the baby herself and resumed her normal routine immediately (51). She wanted to prove to other people what women are capable of, and inspire other women to face their weaknesses. Although she was the only parent available for her seven children, she opened her house to the public so she can still conduct meetings. But Elizabeth took a bold action “despite the fact that she had small children at home, including baby, Cady Stanton went on the tour…. It was her final act of personal rebellion against her Seneca Falls situation, against her Johnstown family, and against her husband. Publicly, she had declared herself a Garrisonian” (Banner 68). She provoked and faced a hostile crowd which, in my opinion, caused their family in danger. Her dedication to revolutionize was dauntless where she was willing to risk her life, and potentially her family, to danger in exchange for freedom of speech and gender equality.
Overall, the book has a powerful message and
She used her as a symbol of empowerment and equality. Gender equality was a great issue in the past where women cannot freely do everything they pleases. They are inferior to men, physically, socially, and politically. The idea was men and women are both human beings and the only difference was the gender, but the freedom and rights are different. Banner pointed out that even when Elizabeth adopted the argument that human history had originated in peaceful, democratic, matriarchal societies which were destroyed by aggressive, dictatorial, patriarchal ones, she contended that the final goal of history would not be a return to the rule of women but rather to the “amphiarchate,” the combined rule of men and women (78). She also explained that the inferiority of women was very common because in the United States, women were more emotional, less intelligent, or more prone to illness than men because society had made them so by denying them an education, a profession, exercise, and sensible clothing …show more content…
Banner mentioned that Elizabeth once put her strength to the test when she was pregnant with her fifth child, Margaret, and decided to challenge the standard belief that childbirth was the supreme example of woman’s weak physiology by proving it was a natural experience. She regularly exercised, and she took a three mile walk the night before the birth. With only a housekeeper and a nurse present, she delivered the baby herself and resumed her normal routine immediately (51). She wanted to prove to other people what women are capable of, and inspire other women to face their weaknesses. Although she was the only parent available for her seven children, she opened her house to the public so she can still conduct meetings. But Elizabeth took a bold action “despite the fact that she had small children at home, including baby, Cady Stanton went on the tour…. It was her final act of personal rebellion against her Seneca Falls situation, against her Johnstown family, and against her husband. Publicly, she had declared herself a Garrisonian” (Banner 68). She provoked and faced a hostile crowd which, in my opinion, caused their family in danger. Her dedication to revolutionize was dauntless where she was willing to risk her life, and potentially her family, to danger in exchange for freedom of speech and gender equality.
Overall, the book has a powerful message and