Origins of the Womens Suffrage Movement - Essay Example

Introduction Before the nineteenth century, there was no equality between men and women. Based on the rampant male chauvinism, the meeting at Wesleyan Chapel focused majorly on women issues that characterized the society. The convention was the first of its kind and it gave birth to the modern North America. Issues that were addressed in the convention included civil, religious and social rights and conditions of women. Similarly, the meeting evaluated the political rights of women with the voting rights forming the theme. Because of this convention, a total of one hundred people had given their consent on the declaration of male chauvinism sentiments (Wellman 9). The population was composed of thirty-two women and sixty-eight women. The sentiments that were declared included equality among men and women concerning pursuit of happiness, liberty, and life as it pertains to the creator’s intentions. The signing of the declarations at Seneca Falls was analogous to the charges that were brought upon King George by colonists since the approval led to imposition of judgment on American men. In addition, it criticized the male legitimized and dominated authority, which approved wife-beating tradition and denied women the rights to vote. Moreover, the declaration revoked the system that encouraged rampant discrimination against women in property ownership, education, and employment, and made women to loose confidence and self-respect in their own activities. In regards to these reforms, American women initiated movement in the nineteenth century, thus, the Women’s Suffrage Movement (Wellman 10). Women’s rights advocates employed the independence declaration at Seneca Falls to attract public interest to their movement and the conception of the Women’s Suffrage. According to Ellen Carol Dubois, the women’s movement gave birth to political feminism that was a new category in the history of feminism. Seneca Falls became symbolic in the onset of U.S women’s rights movement. Based on Frederick Douglas opinions, the convention of women’s advocates at Seneca Falls was attributable to the shared values as opposed to having access to material resource. The domineering value among the advocates was equality. This was based on the affirmation that “All men and Women were equal.” Therefore, it is purported that the egalitarian values formed the signers’ web. Apart from the primary sources account on the formation of the Women’s Suffrage Movement, more insight over this issue is found in secondary literature. Explanations on how the movement was established have been presented by standard approaches. To begin with, the convention was organized by Elizabeth Cady Stanton since Seneca Falls was her personal history (Wellman 12). The convention was called due to her personal discrimination experience at her own family level. Her father favored boys more than he favored girls and she noted that the world’s political and legal structures discriminated women. On the other hand, the movement is ascribed to the women’s fight for recognition as their efforts to partake in the antislavery movements were thwarted. Similarly, they registered their dissatisfaction due to being represented by leaders from abolitionism radical Garrisonian wing rather than the political wing. Due to the movement objective of reforming abolitionism fires, both explanations on the emergence of Women’s Suffrage Movement were valid. Contributing factors before the Seneca Falls convent Though most of the signer’s of the declaration were not leaders, imprints of their primary accordance of social institutions that guided their daily lives were realized. Several sources have identified these institutions such as subscription lists, cemetery records, church records, local histories, census reports, genealogies, tax assessments, and correspondence. Both at national, state and local levels, the women’s reformers employed their energies to popularize the egalitarian ideals. Before comprehension of the convention at Seneca Falls, signers of the declaration sentiments were linked into value-oriented networks by three prominent reform organizations (Wellman 14). The composition of the reformers included legal reforms whose main concern was to voice women’s political rights and rights to own property by married women. In addition, they included the political abolitionists whose major work was to facilitate emergence of Free Soil party. Lastly, the networks were composed of the Quaker abolitionists who paid allegiance to Garisonian abolitionism. Based on this classification, the political abolitionists and legal framers had significant role in formation of Women’s Suffrage Movement at Seneca Falls. However, the Quaker abolitionists’ network correlated with the Waterloo and central New York women’s rights advocates. In regards to Elizabeth Cady Stanton’s life experience, coincidence with each group organizational needs led to emergence of women rights movement in the nineteenth century. Researchers were mesmerized at how three events, networks, and concerns coalesced at Seneca Falls in the summer of 1846. A review of Stanton’s life experience establishes her contribution into the conception of the political rights for women. She aroused her neighbors’ conscience to fight for their rights in cases where she could not achieve it by herself. Seneca Falls convention provided her an opportunity to politicize her personal problems (Wellman 15). A review of the declaration sentiments signers shows that 69 percent of the eighty-three signers were inhabitants of Seneca Falls or the adjacent Waterloo town. As a result, the convention was referred to as “Waterloo Female Convention.” Both regions, Waterloo and Seneca Falls were at the cutting age of social and economic change due to industrialization and transportation network. The established social institutions were eroded by the economic transition in Seneca Falls in 1840s. This attributed to the 1837 depression. The core values that facilitated cohesion in the community were challenged. In regards to these changes, the women’s reformers were advantaged since there was enough security in terms of cultural, social and economic position. Similarly, the transition called for risky advances since it had been necessitated the revolution. Therefore, involvement of the women reformers were instigated by family patterns, economic status and personal characteristics, though different for each signer. These elements provided grounds for the formation of Women Suffrage movements rather than making the signers women activists. Several factors have been identified as critical in the establishment of the movements. To begin with, gender had been noticed to be important though not so definitive. A larger proportion of the women signed the declaration sentiments as opposed to men. In addition, age factor was not prioritized since it ranged between 14 to 68 years (Wellman 15). Other factors that dictated the movements included place of birth, race, and ethnicity. Another contributor to the context of the women movement included wealth. An evaluation of the 1850 census report showed that on average, the signers families owned property as opposed to non-signers’. Moreover, occupation had been identified as a contributor towards initiation of the women’s movement. Though most of the signers had occupations that were greatly affected by changes in the economy, limited link was established between the signers and employment associations. In the case of signers who worked in manufacturing sectors, there were possibilities of direct confrontation with dramatic economic changes. Examples of economic change implications include obsolesce of the Coopers due to closure of flourmills and dwindling of oak tree supply. Apart from occupation, age and ethnicity, family networks were identified to contribute towards formation of women Suffrage Movement. Studies show that arguments existed at family levels on the rights of women. This was exemplified by Henry Stanton decline to attend the convention while his wife and other family members freely attended the Seneca Convention. In addition, it is perceived that families established important relationships, which contributed to signing of the declaration sentiments. Most of the reformers were noted to be members of the same families (Wellman 16). Mutual participation of members of a given family showered that women had a firm background to assert their position in the society. Furthermore, the emergence of women’s movement was escalated by great social interaction of the family settings since most of the signers’ home were not private homes. The households of most of the Seneca Falls convention declaration sentiments had incorporated into their family units’ non-relatives such as children, servants, apprentices, and boarders. The ethnicity of non-relatives included Africans and Europeans Americans. Therefore, complexities of the signers’ homes facilitated the activism in most of the communities without prejudices. The Seneca Convention set the basis of women’s movements due to household and family, work and wealth, sex, ethnicity, race and age factors (Wellman 18). New York State women and legal reform New York State formed the basis of emergence of the first network on women rights due to the statewide debate (Wellman 18). Apart from Stanton, other signers at Seneca convention were affected by the discussions the legal rights of women. New York state attention was roused by two questions concerning the women’s rights. These include the right to own property and their political rights to exercise their democracy. Though different debates were held on these questions, it was realized that they were intertwined. Similarly, though the rules were lessened to allow women poses property, their right was restricted to public sectors where they were subject to payment of taxes. Skeptics felt that approving ownership of property by women in their place of birth would lead to collapse of the resistance to political rights. Consequently, these measures raised questions about the preconceived position of women in the society. It is evident that political rights were infringed for women, children, felons, paupers, and Native Americans in order to curb suffrage. Banning of women voting rights raised question as to how others were not. A review of 1828 showed that equity courts worked in favor of the wealthy since they could preserve their property through legal trustees for their children and wives (Wellman 20). However, 1846 marked the peak for the women rights discussion in New York. The convention addressed the issue of suffrage since the women demanded permission to own property and exercise their democracy. The intensity of the issue was heightened by the failure of black suffrage equal rights in the state. Though the convention did not address women political rights, New York state citizens raised the issue. The formation of the suffrage movement was proposed by Wyoming, Jefferson, and Albany counties petitions. Petitions that were presented to the legislature by citizens led to the approval of the first women ownership property act. In regards to this move, women reformers such as Stanton gained grounds to advocate for women political rights during the Seneca convention. According Stanton, the legislature amendment of ownership act motivated women to assert their position in the society (Wellman 21). Free-Soil organization Evolution of women’s revolution was not only triggered by legislation of the Married Women Act, but also two other events involving networks that value-oriented and major revolutions within the networks (Wellman 22). At Seneca, growth of the Free Soil Organization resulted to splitting of the political allegiances. While in Waterloo and regions beyond, profound separation of religious ties was notable. This was exemplified by separation of the Quakers abolitionists from the Genesee Yearly Meeting to form a group of new progressive or congressional friends. Based on these separations, equality in American life was directly confronted. The groups received support from Cady Stanton’s acquaintances at her fathers place and through her husband Henry. Free Soil was formed because of the constant debates on whether slavery was to be accepted in New York State. Similarly, rebellion by conservative hunkers to support resolutions against prolonging of slavery intrigued the calling of the Barnburner convention. The movement advocated for “free men, free soil, and free labor.” The national confrontation influenced most of the proceedings at Seneca Falls. Due to this movement, women position in the society was addressed because most of the supporters concurred with the need fro equality not only between blacks and whites but also between men and women. Therefore, the Free Soil movement intrigued women to fight for the political rights as means of upholding the creator’s message of equality. However, not all Free Soilers advocated for women at Seneca Falls but had immense on the signing of declaration sentiments (Wellman 27). Congressional Friends Just like the Free Soil organization integrated Women legal Rights issues in their preparation for the Seneca Falls conventions, Waterloo experienced formation of another convention pioneered by Quakers and Garrisonian abolitionists (Wellman 28). The network advocated for antislavery that was being practiced in the state. The splitting the Friends yearly meeting was instigated by the need to uphold to equality in life. Through advocacy of leaders such as Lucretia Mott for equality among men and women, the network registered larger number of signers at the Seneca convention (Wellman 29). Conclusion In conclusion, by embracing the language of Independence declaration, declaration sentiments at Seneca Falls convention explored deeply the conscience and culture of many Americans. Though it is perceived as coincidence, presence of Elizabeth Cady Stanton led to emergence of Women’s Suffrage Movement that came to be experienced by most of the nineteenth century Americans women. Her major political movement succeeded due to the influential role she contributed in regards to women agitation in the society. Work Cited Wellman, Judith. “The Seneca Falls Women’s Rights Convention: A Study of Social Networks.” Journal of Women’s History 3, 1991: 9-37. Print Read More