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

SENECA FALLS WOMEN’S RIGHTS CONFERENCE- JULY 19-20, 1848

Around 300 attended, most were women. Over the two days there were six sessions including one on law, one humorous and discussions on women’s role in society. A famous Quaker speaker from Boston, Lucretia Mott was not originally in favor of women voting, but Frederick Douglass was persuasive in convincing the group to include it in the list of resolutions.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seneca_Falls_Convention

WORDS TO LIVE BY

"Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind” - Dr. Seuss
Suffragists lived long before he said this but it certainly describes how they were committed to living their lives, as they fought to change the laws that constrained the lives of all women.

“The Meaning of the Fourth of July to the Negro”

FREDERICK DOUGLASS originally gave this speech on this day in 1852. “Fellow-citizens,” he began, “why am I called upon to speak here to-day? What have I, or those I represent, to do with your national independence? Do you mean, citizens, to mock me, by asking me to speak to-day? What, to the American slave, is your Fourth of July?”
Since then there have been many readings of Douglass’s speech on or near this date, including this recent one in Springfield, Massachusetts. Douglass was a steadfast supporter of women’s rights and involved from 1848 until his death.

http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2010/06/springfield_to_celebrate_frede.html
http://www.boulderweekly.com/article-2887-the-myth-of-a-post-racial-america.html

The full text of his speech www.masshumanities.org.

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

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