Resistance Rises: Difference Between Ladies And Women

An underlying message that I’ve noticed throughout the accounts included in these readings is the difference between “women” and “ladies.” The first paragraph of “Resistance Rises” is quick to note that these early glass ceiling-breakers were “not well-behaved ladies” like their gender informed them to be, but “women reshaping themselves.” This subtle distinction has helped me to compartmentalize a female’s transformation. The lady remains quiet while the woman speaks out; the lady sits while the woman stands up; the lady takes every rule - spoken or unspoken - at face value while the woman questions until she gets an answer or a reaction. This is just something I’ve seen in your writing, Sally, and I really appreciate it’s literary and sociological value, whether you …show more content…
I’m heartened to learn that quite a few men - Wendell Phillips, George Thompson, George Bradburn, Mr. Ashurst, Dr. Bowring, and Henry B. Stanton - used their prominent voices to champion equality for women. This is one case where I can support the act of the powerful speaking for the marginalized because this was one of the first steps in the fight for human equality. Therefore, there was truly only one powerful demographic - white men. I noticed that Henry B. Stanton is Elizabeth Cady Stanton’s husband. With some further research, I discovered that the two of them got married on May 1, 1840; I wonder if the marriage was before or after the convention, and if so, how their relationship affected a forum such as this. Did it matter at all that she was the wife of an outspoken member of the committee? I’d like to learn more about how they as a couple (and other couples) approached and influenced women’s suffrage, if that information is pertient and/or