Prior to July 20th, 1828, women had it very difficult. Women were not allowed to vote, have property rights, educate or worse yet; enter professions in the medical or law field, and found themselves with many prohibitions in their lives. Women of 19th and 20th centuries were forced to be totally dependent on men. This made them lack self-respect, self-worth, and self-confidence. Then, on July 19th, 1848, the first women’s rights convention was held. It called for women’s rights to vote. Such convention was held in Seneca Falls, New York, lasting two days and marking the beginning of the women’s-rights movement.
After much discussions and debates, “68 women and 32 men signed a Declaration of Sentiments,” (Imbornoni, A. 2007). Such Declaration was authored by Elizabeth Cady Stanton. The Declaration of Sentiments “outlines grievances and sets the agenda for the women’s rights movement,” (Imbornoni, A. 2007). Such Declaration adopted 12 resolutions which enforced that all men and women deserved equal treatment and women’s right to vote. Moreover, 12 resolutions received agreement endorsement, with a few amendments with the exemption that of women’s right to vote. However, women’s right to vote was the convention’s main focus. And, so it was for a long 72 years.
In 1850, the first National Women’s Rights Convention took place in Worcester, Massachusetts. Over one thousand people participated. During such difficult and trying times, these national conventions took place on a yearly basis through 1860, (Imbornoni, A.