Bellwork How closely aligned to you think the abolitionist
movement was to the womens rights movement?
Slide 2
American History Section 10, Unit 5 Womens Rights
Slide 3
Objectives Examine the rights demanded by the early womens
rights activists Identify the reforms that women rights activists
achieved and issues that remained unresolved. Explain why
middle-class womens rights groups were unable to gain wide support
Read and examine the Declaration of Sentiments
Slide 4
Role of Women Women played a major role in all reform
movements. They ran organizations and raised funds, engaged in
public speaking, and petitioned legislatures. As they began to join
these social movements, women soon began to fight for their own
rights.
Slide 5
Abolition and Womens Rights Two early lecturers of the American
Anti- Slavery Society, Sarah and Angelina Grimke, highlight how
abolition pushed some women to fight for their own rights.
Slide 6
Abolition and womens rights The Grimke sisters became
abolitionists in the 1820s. They devoted their energies solely
against slavery, but overtime they started connected the struggles
for abolition to those of womens rights: The discussion of the
rights of the slave has opened the way for the discussion of other
rights, and the ultimate result will most certainly be the breaking
of every yoke an emancipation far more glorious than any the world
has ever yet seen. Angelina Grimke.
Slide 7
Abolition and womens rights The Grimkes efforts met sharp
opposition. Advocates of a womans traditional roles such as
Catharine Beecher- criticized women for joining the abolitionist
campaigns. These people argued that such public displays by women
went outside the sphere of female duty. Others, including
ministers, believed that women should only be able to influence
something though quiet prayers or through their work at home or in
Sunday school.
Slide 8
Abolitionists and womens rights However, the Grimkes refused to
stop. They argued that men and women are created equal and that
whatever is right for a man to do is right for a woman as well.
Anything less, in their eyes, was a violation of human rights.
Slide 9
Declaration of Rights The link between abolition and womens
rights endured as the call for equal rights for women strengthened
in the 1840s. Two abolitionists who became leading supporters of
womens rights were Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott.
Lucretia Mott
Slide 10
Declaration of Rights Stanton and Mott were both troubled by
women's status in America. They were denied the right to vote, were
second- class citizens, had less access to education, and were
generally paid less than their male counterparts. Married women
also had few rights they could barely keep their earnings and if
they were divorced, could not get custody of the children.
Slide 11
Declaration of Rights Stanton and Mott became aware of
injustices against women when they attended the Worlds Anti-slavery
Convention in London in 1840. Convention officials refused to allow
women to speak and, due to this, Stanton and Mott agreed that after
that convention they would launch a movement to end the
discrimination against women. Elizabeth Stanton
Slide 12
Seneca Falls Convention Their efforts led to the first U.S.
womens rights convention in Seneca Falls, New York, in 1848. More
than 300 women attended, which marked the birth of the organized
womens right movement in the U.S. The convention, by the end,
adopted the Declaration of Sentiments.
Slide 13
Declaration of Sentiments Please take a copy of the Declaration
of Sentiments and begin reading. Consider the following while
reading: 1.What rights do the women want? 2.Are these rights
similar to other rights? 3.Who do the women seem to have grievances
against?
Slide 14
Declaration of Sentiments The Declaration of Sentiments was
designed to follow the ideals of the Declaration of Independence.
The document called for: 1.Equality for men and women 2.Reforms to
strengthen womens legal position (such as married women being able
to get property and children after a divorce) 3.Voting rights
Slide 15
Declaration of Sentiments The Declaration of Sentiments voiced
the discontent of women of the time for all the public to see.
Slide 16
Suffrage The most fiercely debated issue at the Seneca Falls
Convention was suffrage the right to vote. Stanton said that
attaining the right to vote was crucial for winning full equality
because it gives women the ability just like men to have a voice in
the laws of the nation.
Slide 17
Suffrage Opponents of womens suffrage said demanding to vote
was too radical. Most people agreed with Catharine Beecher (the
reformer who opposed womens rights) when she said that women should
not participate in politics. Others believed that such a unpopular
demand might jeopardize support from influential politicians.
Slide 18
Womens Rights Activism While some women called for suffrage,
most women from the Seneca Falls Convention instead devoted most of
their time to legal reforms laid out in the Declaration of
Sentiments. To achieve these goals, the activists organized a
system of local organizations and held womens rights
conferences.
Slide 19
Womens rights activism An important womens rights activist of
the time was Susan B. Anthony a Quaker from a family who affirmed
the equality of men and women. She began to be a vocal advocate for
womens rights after she was prevented from speaking at a temperance
convention for being a woman.
Slide 20
Womens rights activism Due to her being stopped for being a
woman, Anthony pushed for womens rights believing that women
couldnt help in reform movements if they dont have political
rights. At Elizabeth Cady Stantons urging, Anthony dedicated her
life for womens rights. She organized petitions, meetings,
campaigns, and raised money for the cause.
Slide 21
Legal Reforms Anthony, Stanton, Mott, and Sojourner Truth also
argued for legal reforms that would benefit women. One of these
reforms womens right to own and control their property- had first
been proposed by middle class men. Some fathers supported this to
prevent their land from falling into the hands of untrustworthy
son-in- laws.
Slide 22
Response In response to calls for reform, New York and other
states revised their laws to permit married women to own property,
file lawsuits, and retain their earnings. However, suffrage and
other legal rights would be slow to come. While women began to push
for rights in 1848, they did not gain the constitutional power to
do so until 1920.
Slide 23
Legacy Regardless of how long it took women to get certain
rights, the womens rights activists of the mid-1800s initiated (and
set the groundwork for) the womens rights movement that has existed
for over century to today.
Slide 24
Questions? If you have any questions, please ask now.
Slide 25
Next lesson In the next lesson, we are going to discuss
westward expansion after the purchase of Louisiana.
Slide 26
Review 1.How successful were womens rights activists in
achieving their reforms? Give an example of a long term impact of
the movement. 2.What was the connection between the abolitionist
movement and the womens rights movement (i.e. how did the movement
come out of the abolitionist movement)? 3.What was the outcome of
the Seneca Falls Convention? 4.What is suffrage and why did the
activists push for it? 5.Why were many women including some
activists concerned about the demand for suffrage? 6.What was the
Declaration of Sentiments? What did it demand?
