BALANCE IN MARRIAGE Part 2

In the 19th century, there was a full spectrum of marriages from ones where the wives were literally servants, needing to account for every minute of their time and little more than sexual slaves, to husbands like Elizabeth Cady Stanton’s who were loving and supportive, a real partner to thei...r wives in every sense of the word.The suffragists, who knew they were fortunate in their lives, were fighting for the improvement of the lives of the “marriage slaves” or others only slightly better off. They were fighting for the right of women to make decisions about their own lives, not just the right to vote.

THE RESPONSIBILITY OF WOMEN’S RIGHT TO VOTE

“Resolved, that it is the duty of the women of this country to secure to themselves their sacred right to the elective franchise.”
As she wrote the resolutions in preparation for the Seneca Falls Convention, Lizzie Stanton added this one despite the objection of many. To attain the full rights and responsibilities of citizenship, she knew it must include the vote. Since it took over 70 years to gain, we should consider it valuable and EXERCISE IT!

http://www.usconstitution.net/sentiments.html

SENECA FALLS, DAY 2

The rights we as women all enjoy today, that day took a giant leap toward coming true! BE GRATEFUL to all those men and women!
It was agreed that on the first day, only women would speak. On the morning of day 2, men joined the discussion.
“The Convention assembled at the hour appointed, JAMES MOTT, of Philadelphia, in the Chair. The minutes of the previous day having been read, [Lizzie] E. C. STANTON again read the Declaration of Sentiments, which was freely discussed by LUCRETIA MOTT, ANSEL BASCOM, S. E. WOODWORTH, THOMAS AND MARY ANN MCCLINTOCK, FREDERICK DOUGLASS, AMY POST, CATHARINE STEBBINS, AND ELIZABETH C. STANTON, and was unanimously adopted,…”

From the minutes of the Convention - http://www.nps.gov/wori/historyculture/report-of-the-womans-rights-convention.htm

LIZZIE STANTON

As a young girl she would sit in a corner of her father’s home office and learn about how unjust the law and how lacking in compassion her father was. He administered the law with no interest in improving it for the sake of women, despite Lizzie’s many complaints. He was cold as stone regarding his three daughters, preferring his four sons who all died in childhood. She excelled in her accomplishments to earn her father’s approval, only to have him say to her at 16, “If only you were a boy.”
This must have hurt her deeply, but also must have severely damaged her father’s credibility.
At the advanced age of 24, her father forbade her marrying because Henry Stanton was an abolitionist, was 10 years older and therefore too old, and could not support her well enough. She acquiesced for a short while, but finally rebelled and eloped so she and Henry could attend the World Abolition Conference in London in 1840.
That event turned out to be pivotal to the rest of her life. She met many women who were also interested in improving women’s lives and became her allies in the battle to improve women’s rights.

HER HOME WAS A PRISON

Legally and culturally, women were tied to their homes. She had no rights of her own, and so could not make her own decisions. A woman was not allowed to do anything alone. She was always accompanied in public. Her freedom to converse with others had strict boundaries, and she was never allowed to speak in a public forum. This was a problem as the Seneca Falls Meeting was planned. These prohibitions had started to change in the 1840’s, but women had no experience speaking in public. Fortunately, they had male supporters like Frederick Douglass. And they had been successful in issues of social change like abolition. You can hear that dedication and passion for justice in Mrs. Stanton’s words from “The Declaration of Sentiments.” Imagine the courage it took to assert the idea that women should be involved in public issues, and more importantly tell women they had a stake in the issues.

“Resolved, therefore, that, being invested by the Creator with the same capabilities and same consciousness of responsibility for their exercise, it is demonstrably the right and duty of woman, equally with man, to promote every righteous cause by every righteous means; and especially in regard to the great subjects of morals and religion, it is self-evidently her right to participate with her brother in teaching them, both in private and in public, by writing and by speaking, by any instrumentalities proper to be used, and in any assemblies proper to be held; and this being a self-evident truth growing out of the divinely implanted principles of human nature, any custom or authority adverse to it, whether modern or wearing the hoary sanction of antiquity, is to be regarded as a self-evident falsehood, and at war with mankind.”

http://www.usconstitution.net/sentiments.html

MRS. STANTON’S SENTIMENTS ON EQUALITY IN LIFE

Even in the 1840’s Elizabeth Cady Stanton was raising the issue of double standards of behavior for men and women. In many situations, the burden still seems to be on women to expect or even demand civility and respect from men. Sadly the media supports the “fun” in reversion as soon as women’s backs are turned. Thank you to the men who ALWAYS love and respect women.

“Resolved, that the same amount of virtue, delicacy, and refinement of behavior that is required of woman in the social state also be required of man, and the same transgressions should be visited with equal severity on both man and woman.”

http://www.usconstitution.net/sentiments.html

HUMAN RIGHTS AS MRS. STANTON SAW THEM

“We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men and women are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness;” from the Declaration of Sentiments, written by Eliz. Cady Stanton for the First Womens' Rights Convention, held in Seneca Falls, NY on July 19th and 20th, 1848.

This was patterned after the Declaration of Independence. Many would wish that the original document had included women in those rights.

“He has usurped the prerogative of Jehovah himself, claiming it as his right to assign for her a sphere of action, when that belongs to her conscience and to her God.”
http://www.usconstitution.net/sentiments.html

SUPPORT FROM A FORMER SLAVE

It took the persuasion of Frederick Douglas, a former slave, abolitionist and editor of the Rochester [NY] North Star newspaper to convince the body at the 1848 meeting in Seneca Falls to pass the resolution on Women’s Suffrage. It was a new and very controversial idea that many ministers preached against from their pulpit. A few days later, the press reported on the proceedings. Mrs. Stanton reacted that it was still getting the ideas out there, despite their negative treatment. It would still get women and men thinking about these new ideas. I doubt she imagined it would take so long. She did not live to see their victory.

Frederick Douglass (1818-1895) Elizabeth Cady Stanton (1815-1902)

http://www.npg.si.edu/col/seneca/senfalls1.htm

The Denial That Began the Fire For Change

The real inspiration for increasing women’s rights may have begun in London in 1840. Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott were both attending the World Anti-slavery Convention, with their husbands. Mrs. Mott and other women wanted to be seated as delegates, but were prevented. The denial had the effect of firing up some of them. It was the start of a profound change in the lives of women.

http://www.npg.si.edu/col/seneca/senfalls1.htm

Mrs. Stanton's Level of Frustration

SHE found herself releasing "the torrent of my long-accumulating discontent, with such vehemence and indignation, that I stirred myself as well as the rest of the party to do and to dare anything." The quote is Elizabeth Cady Stanton's noted in the book THE LADIES OF SENECA FALLS by Miriam Gurko. This was the impetus for the convention in July of 1848 that began the fight for the rights of women – to vote, speak our minds, and determine the direction of our own lives. At this time women had few unquestioned rights. The laws varied, but social convention kept most women in check until the day that Mrs. Stanton’s frustration boiled over.



http://www.amazon.com/Ladies-Seneca-Falls-Studies-Women/dp/0805205454/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1275778550&sr=8-1