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women can be found in the provision that "all men and women are created equal; that they are endowed by certain inalienable rights (p. 266, #1) It is the right of those who suffer from it {the government] to refuse allegiance to it and to insist upon the institution of a new government(p. 266, #1) On maters of education it is stated "that he has denied her the facilities for obtaining a thorough education, all colleges being closed against her. (p. 267, #1) Resolved: it is preeminently his [man's] duty to encourage her to speak and teach as she has the opportunity(p. 268-269, #1)

The provisions stated in the Declaration as well as what she saw them reforming, had a powerful impact on Stanton's later years. She saw this document as having the power to "alter forever what feminism meant." (p. 266, #3) She knew full well the influence that it would have over countless men and women alike until the end of time. Her self-esteem was raised and with it her expectations(p. 266, #3) To me there was no question so important as the emancipation of women from the dogmas of the past, political, religious and social(p. 56, #2) Essentially, the ladies of Seneca Falls became architects of the suffrage movement(p. 207, #3) As a result of their efforts (and particularly those of Stanton herself) they will forever be known as forerunners in their attempts to remedy issues that will be of importance until the end of time.

Works Cited and Description of Sources

"Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions, Seneca Falls Convention, 1848" excerpt from: Race, Class and Gender in the United States. Paula S. Rothenberg. St. Martin's Press: New York, 1992

Forster, Margaret, Significant Sisters. Alfred A. Knopf: New York, 1985

Guerko, Miriam, The Ladies of Seneca Falls: Birth of the Women's Movement. Schoken Books: New York, 1974

Source #1

This is the actual Declaration of Sentiments. It was what the five women at Seneca Falls drafted, and it became a precedent for how women would be treated. It details what the injustices against women were, how they wished to be treated, and reasons why that treatment was both necessary and justified. Using this document as part of my research, I found that I was better able to make connections between the early and later life of Elizabeth C. Stanton. I was also able to see exactly what the objectives were in the whole process of the Convention and draw from it as a primary source.

Source #2

The Usefulness of the Ladies of Seneca Falls: Birth of the Women's Movement rested not only in the information that it provided, but also in the manner in which it was structured. It begins by explaining the background of the events leading up to the Seneca Falls Convention, and it goes into a lengthy description of the lives of each individual associated with it.

Source #3

Significant Sisters by Margaret Forster is essentially a who's who in the history of womankind. It chronicles the lives of major female figures in detail. Several quotations from the individuals themselves make this ac useful source in a project of this nature. I was able to ascertain feelings of Stanton and her associates on issues that were central to the formulation of the Declaration.

Learn more about this author, Courtney Caswell-Peyton.
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