Woman's Suffrage Movement: Lucretia Mott, Elizabeth Cady Stanton

Woman’s Suffrage In the early 1800’s woman were viewed as second-class citizens. They were not allowed to vote, own property, or pursue an education. Once married, a woman was almost non-existent. A man and woman were considered one according to the law. Married woman were not allowed to own property, collect inheritance, or even considered a guardian to their children. Woman fought for 70 years to change the world’s views about woman and to gain the right to vote. Woman’s Suffrage Movement was a political movement in which woman protested, educated, and lobbied on behalf of all woman to gain equal rights and to be viewed as equal citizens alongside men. Many important women to this cause Lucretia Mott, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, Lucy Stone, and Julia Howe, just to name a few, fought long and hard to secure equal rights for woman. Many organizations were established during this period including the National Woman’s Suffrage Association (NWSA), American Woman’s Suffrage Association (AWSA), and National American Woman’s Suffrage Association (NAWSA). These organizations organized woman and other supporters to ratify the constitution and guarantee American woman the right to vote. Many believe the fight for woman’s suffrage began in 1848 at the Seneca Falls Convention. This is only partially true. The seed planted for this convention began eight years earlier at an anti-slavery convention in London. Lucretia Mott and Elizabeth Cady Stanton attended the anti-slavery convention with their husbands and were refused a seat at the convention based on their sex (The Seneca Falls Convention July 19-20, 1848). In July 1848, a social visit brought together five women well acquainted with anti-slavery meetings and began discussing the unfair actions against Mott and Stanton at the London convention (The Seneca Falls Convention July 19-20, 1848). Stanton convinced the other women it was time for women to stand up for their rights and scheduled a convention to discuss the social, civil and equal rights of women (The Seneca Falls Convention July 19-20, 1848). Stanton drew up a declaration that would outline topics to be discussed at the convention. She used the Declaration of Independence as a guide to determine the wrongs applied to women and resolutions to correct the unjust laws against them and make them right. Stanton argued that men and women were created equal and therefore should have equal rights as citizens (The Seneca Falls Convention July 19-20, 1848). One of the most important resolutions Stanton fought for was the right for women to vote (The Seneca Falls Convention July 19-20, 1848). Stanton believed that if women could secure the right to vote, all other resolutions would be within their grasp because they would be voting on the laws affecting them. Three hundred …show more content…
Anthony. The two joined together and made a great team. Stanton was considered the brains of the team, and Anthony the hands and feet to promote Stanton’s ideas to share with the world. The pair edited and published a woman’s rights newspaper called the Revolution. The paper was published from January 8, 1868 to February, 1872 (America 's Story from America 's Library: Elizabeth Cady Stanton). The paper was a beneficial instrument used to discuss subjects that were not publicized in other mainstream publications (America 's Story from America 's Library: Elizabeth Cady Stanton). The paper publicized and influenced women on subjects such as rape, domestic violence, divorce, reproductive rights, and discrimination against women in the workforce. (America 's Story from America 's Library: Elizabeth Cady Stanton). In 1869, the National Woman Suffrage Association (NWSA) was formed by Anthony and Stanton (America 's Story from America 's Library: Elizabeth Cady Stanton). The dynamic duo traveled all over the country promoting equal rights for women (America 's Story from America 's Library: Elizabeth Cady Stanton). One of the first laws they tackled was the Married Women’s Property law which states that married women have the right to own property and engage in business transactions. They were now allowed to be sued separate from their husbands and considered joint guardians of their children (Harper). Prior to the passing of this law, women were limited in what they could own or inherit. Once married, women’s rights were suspended, and the couple was viewed as one person under the law, the husband