Seneca Falls Convention 1848

The Ladies of Seneca Falls and Otherwise

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal,”
-- Thomas Jefferson, The Declaration of Independence,1776

“We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men and women are created equal;”
-- Elizabeth Cady Stanton, The Declaration of Sentiments, 1848 Two largely parallel quotes from America’s history, yet only the first one is recognizable to most. That alone accentuates the plight of equal rights, although both quotes helped to spark a revolution, one for a new country and the other for the equal rights movements. On a recent trip to the East Coast, my mother and I stopped in Geneva, New York. Nearby, another small town, Seneca Falls, awaited our exploration. Unbeknownst
to me, the town is the site of the National Women’s Hall of Fame and the Women’s Rights National Historic Park. which mark an integral topic to society -- the fight for equal rights for women and other minorities.
As of 2016, 256 women make up the National Women’s Hall of Fame, an institution built to honor and celebrate the achievements of women throughout history. These women -- many of whom were considered radical for their stances and for speaking out in their time -- fought not simply for themselves, but for the rights of all women and for the most basic human endeavor: inclusion. NWHF and other organizations ensure that these women in our nation’s history are not forgotten, and that they are recognized for all that they did. This is important because these women put so much at risk by standing up for what they believed in, and they should be remembered and respected. The latter quote is from the Declaration of Sentiments, written primarily by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and drafted in Seneca Falls, hence the location of the national park.
Stanton showcased the article amid the Seneca Falls convention of 1848, which also included Lucretia Mott, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Martha C. Wright, and Mary Ann McClintock. These early feminists set the agenda and led the convention, which culminated in the reading and signing of the Declaration. Based on the Declaration of Independence, Sentiments summarized and compared the problems the founding fathers faced with the struggles of the women’s rights movement. The document and convention quickly became considered the beginning of the American women’s rights movement. The document openly states that women and men are entitled to the same rights and it discusses the way women are oppressed by the government and patriarchal society. The text highlights sixteen issues, such as the lack of women’s suffrage, participation and representation in politics; the lack of women’s property rights in marriage; inequality in education and employment chances; and inequality in divorce cases, many of which still plague women today by demonizing women in politics and by removing their opportunities in employment. Stanton read the declaration during the convention, and the passage of twelve resolutions regarding women’s rights soon followed. In all, 68 women and 32 men, including Frederick Douglass signed the
declaration. Today, some of the same issues these women faced occur today, and just as students learn about the birth of our nation, learning about the beginning of the equal rights movement could remind people of the hard work that came before.
These women earned their places in history: from which others can learn, give credit, and honor. Their path was not an easy one. Victoria Woodhull, one of my personal heroes, due to her strong beliefs, became the first woman to run for president, yet was nicknamed “the female satan” because of her “radical” beliefs regarding vegetarianism and shorter skirts. Although 2016 marks the closest a woman has gotten to the presidency, Woodhull’s name is rarely, if ever, mentioned. Sybil Ludington is not taught about alongside Paul Revere, the man who famously rode sixteen miles to warn of the British attack by sea when he was forty. Ludington, the daughter of a colonel, rode her horse forty miles at the age of sixteen, using a long stick to defend herself against highwaymen. It is important to make sure that the memories and knowledge of these women do not disappear. These women are important to me because they sacrificed so much for their cause, and I would like to help the rights of women and other minorities as
well.
Finally, I think in this modern age, American playwright, lyricist and actor Lin-Manuel Miranda captures it well in lyrics he wrote for Angelica Schuyler in his celebrated Hamilton: An American Musical: “We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal; and when I meet Thomas Jefferson, I’ma compel him to include women in the sequel. Work!”