Women's Rights Movement Essay

The Women’s Rights movement began in 1848 and throughout the years has made a difference in the lives of women in the U.S. The fight for women to be complete equals to men is still going on, but the efforts of the women of the late 1840s has helped change the status of women in several ways. Before the movement began American women were not allowed to vote, had very few rights in regards to owning property and their own earning, they couldn’t take custody of their children if they were to get a divorce, and few professions and colleges were available to women. They were essentially second class citizens. Even when they wanted to help and support a reform movement, they were held back from fully participating. During the abolition movement, …show more content…
African American women were mostly kept out of the women’s movement at the beginning because the white women wanted to concentrate on the women’s movement and not get the abolition movement involved (Reform Movements: Women 's Rights). Stanton presented the Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions, which was modeled after the Declaration of Independence. The Declaration discussed the grievances of women against existing laws and customs (Elizabeth Cady Stanton). It stated that “all men and women are created equal and are endowed with inalienable rights, including life liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”. It also expressed 18 charges of “repeated injuries and usurpation on the part of man toward woman”, including unfair laws regarding divorce, inequality in regard to religion, education, and employment, and the denial to vote. As for the 12 resolutions, they called for the repeal of the unfair laws that allowed women to be treated unequally, the acknowledgement that women are equal to men, the right to speak in churches, equal participation in professions, trade, and commerce, and the granting of the right to vote (Seneca Falls