American Women's Rights Movement - Literature review Example

American Women’s Rights Movement of Affiliation The history of women’s rights movement s back in 1848 following Seneca Falls Convention. In a publication named “Declaration of Sentiments”, the women in the convention outlined a number of social, economic, and political grievances, indicating that, in addition to being denied the right to own property, women earned far less than their male compatriots. In the course of 19th century, National Women’s Suffrage Association (NWSA) and American Woman Suffrage Association (AWSA) all came to being with an aim of fighting for the rights of women. In the meantime, the role of women in the American society gradually started to change as even the country struggled with the civil war, reconstruction era, and later on World War I. Nonetheless, the journey to women’s involvement in the movement for women’s rights traces its’ root to abolitionism movement that was prominent in the early years of this century. In those years, women took part in the abolition movement even though they were widely regarded as underdogs. Discrimination was evident and most of them felt irritated. It is however their involvement in abolitionism and their consequent discrimination that sparked them into start demanding for women’s right. In this paper, I seek to show that the genesis of powerful women rights movement of the 19th century was women’s involvement in the abolition activism. Long before women started advocating for their own independence and rights, abolition movement was already in top gear and a significant number of female activists were a part and parcel. Lucy Stone and Antoinette Brown are among those women “whose abolitionism predated their feminism and long remained their primary commitment” craved to end slavery. Other women, for instance Elizabeth Cady Stanton, chose to support abolition movements for decades even though, in her heart, she felt that “prejudice against sex was more deeply rooted and more unreasonably maintained than that against color.” In London Anti-Slavery Convention, Stanton came across Lucretia Mott who was also an abolitionists and reformer. They advocated for equal involvement and participation of women in the antislavery societies (Davis, p. 44, 2008). Unfortunately, whereas most women in this era were committed to antislavery movement, they encountered segregation from within the organizations they worked for, a situation that led them into taking political angel and start demanding for their rights. Furthermore, women dedicated to securing freedom for African Americans began making legal connection between their circumstances and that of enslaved black Americans. In the London Anti-Slavery convention already mentioned above, abolitionist Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott were subjected to male prejudice when they were not allowed to have seats. Their activisms sentiments were clearly echoed by the words of Sarah Moore Grimke when she said: "All I ask of our brethren is that they will take their feet from off our necks and permit us to stand upright on the ground which God intended us to occupy (Davis, p.47, 2008)."  While most female activists were keen to support abolition movements, they felt that they were not as much appreciated as their male counterparts in conventions that pursued the same course. It was ironical to Stanton and Mott that London Anti-Slavery Convention, which championed for the rights of blacks, significantly ignored the woman’s voice. In 1848, these two activists took action and organized the Seneca Falls Convention in 1848. The convention had a total attendance of 300 members, most of whom were women. Among the speakers of the convention included Stanton and Mott. Frederick Douglass, a former slave who became an abolitionist, was also a keynote speaker in the convention. It was in this convention that the “Declaration of Sentiments” was spelt out and the members present voted for the resolution there in, significant of which was female suffrage. Unlike other resolutions that receive unanimous votes, the push for suffrage was unsuccessful despite the touching speed by Frederick Douglas. The aftermath of Seneca Falls Convention saw the emergence of sometimes-stubborn suffrage movements. At the start, female reformers focused on social institutional hurdles that curtailed the rights for women. These included family duties, lack of opportunities in education and economic realms, and absence of their representation in political debates. In 1850, Stanton met Susan B. Anthony, a Massachusetts teacher and decided to for a lifelong alliance of women’s rights activists. These two women became the voice of reason in the 1850s advocating for the fundamental freedoms of women. However, their attempts later on to lobby the Congress to incorporate women in the provision of the 14th and 15th Amendments hit a snag. The pursuit of the rights of women was, however, not only a preserve for Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott as there are other organizations that equally sprang up in the course of the 19th century to pursue suffrage. For instance, in 1869, National Woman Suffrage Association (NWSA) and American Woman Suffrage Association (AWSA) were formed. The primary objective for these two groups was to champion for suffrage, even though they acted separately and apparently in conflict to each other until 1890. Many black women, including Harriet Tubman, joined NWSA and served to reinforce the association. Tubman was honored at some instance by the New England Woman Suffrage Association, for her dedication to the call for universal female suffrage. Sojourner Truth, another female reformer and abolitionist, added her voice alongside to that of Stanton to demand for universal suffrage “at the time when other reformers thought that suffrage for black men was the more urgent goal (Du, p.70, 1998).” Evidently, the women’s rights movement was a product of abolition. Most participants of abolition ended up supporting the reforms that women pursued. Majority of those that were part of 1848’s Seneca Falls convention had already actively participated in abolition movements. The organizers of the event, among whom included Motts and Santons, had already a clear-cut niche and operated more or less as abolitionists. Similarly, the presence of Frederick Douglass, a renowned abolitionist, and his choice as the keynote speaker all point at the strong linkage that existed between abolitionists and women rights movement. Also, in his own words, Frederick Douglas said that “When the true history of the antislavery cause shall be written, women will occupy a large space in its pages.” Much of the reinforcement to the women rights movement came from the north and comprised mostly of evangelical Protestants and Quakers. These women argued out that slavery was abominable to the land where Christianity was deeply rooted. While a few of these women stood up to become famous even in the books of history, there are many others who have remained virtually unknown such as Lucy Colman (Foner, 2012). Women involvement in antislavery movement has been evident throughout the history of activism and calls for equality in the United States. In 1833, Quaker Lucretia Mott, in conjunction with William Lloyd Garrson of The Liberator Magazine, and other women launched the American Anti-Slavery Society. Women were the majority in this society and they further on formed other separate local branches that advocated against slavery. Mott went ahead to join hand with other women from Philadelphia to form Philadelphia Female Antislavery Society in 1833. This organization rooted for equality in respect to gender and race, which also encompassed both the African American and white women (Mountjoy & McNeese, p. 31, 2008). It can also be argued out that women rights groups drew much of inspiration from the experience they had while being part of the anti-slavery movement. For example, Angleina and Sarah Grinke, who were from South Carolina and ardent adherents to Quakers, were both effective and eloquent anti-slavery speakers. This was despite the fact that it was regarded inappropriate for women to speak before an audience comprising of “promiscuous” individuals as was the case in the church at that time. Following a petition drive that took place in Massachusetts in 1837, male audience was lured to a “female-only” lectures. In what was perceived as a rebellion to Congregational ministers, Angelina and Grimkes stood their ground of condemning slavery while at the same time “pursue the cause of woman as a moral being.” Angelina is quoted saying that to do otherwise (bow down to the demand not to speak to “promiscuous audience”) is tantamount to the "…a violation of our fundamental principle that man & woman are created equal, & have the same duties & the same responsibilities as moral beings (Buechler, p. 54, 1990)." Generally, women used the opportunities accorded by the antislavery movement to develop their personal and organizational skills which were crucial for effective social movement. They got a line of writing persuasively, raising funds, gather and organize their supporters for different events, as well as speak boldly before large crowds comprising of both men and women. Issues raised in such engagements ranged from fundamental family issues to political issues. In the congregation of abolitionists, women eventually found their voices. By 1950s, women rights groups had gained prominence such that they held state and national conventions that championed for legal and political changes. Women general involvement in activism eventually created a place for them in the public sphere. However, it was their active participation in abolitionism that greatly inspired early movement which demand for the rights of women.by working for the rights of the African American slaves, many women developed a new ideology regarding their social and legal statuses. For instance, after their conversion from Quakerism to abolitionism, the daughters of a famous South Carolina slaveholder, Angelina and Sarah Grimke, made their in impression in activism through public lectures that unapologetically condemned slavery. Grimke’s go down the history as among the first women to use the abolitionist principle of universal freedom and equality to the status of women. When questioned in one of the interviews as to why they had overstepped outside “the domestic and social sphere” that was a preserve for women, Angelina retorted that she “knew nothing of men’s right and women rights”. Further on, she argued that “whatever is morally right for a man to do, it is morally right for woman to do.” Grimke’s sister became the subjected of much public criticism a situation that finally led them to retire from the public sphere. Nonetheless, their writings were critical in inspiring the movement for women’s rights that arose in the 1840s (Buechler, p. 18, 1990). In conclusion, the birth of movement for women’s rights was the involvement of women in abolitionism. At the start of the 19th century, women had been made to believe that their space was only in domestic and social spheres. However, their slight involvement in the campaigns against slavery acted as a green light to their opportunity to also start demanding for their rights. After the London Anti-Slavery Convention, the women present noted with a lot of concern that it was absolutely unfair to be discriminated by the same movement that purported to be fighting for the rights of other people. They further realized that the quest for their rights was more or less related to the quest for the rights of the slaves. Through experience gained as abolitionists, these women were able to organize themselves, mobilize others, conducts conferences, and voice their concerns in the public places through lectures or sermons in churches. Eventually, the movement of women’s rights was born that has, up to date, made tremendous steps in so far as giving women their freedom. References Foner, E. (2012). Give me liberty!: An American history. New York: W.W. Norton. Buechler, S. M. (1990). Womens movements in the United States: Woman suffrage, equal rights, and beyond. New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press. Mountjoy, S., & McNeese, T. (2008). The womens rights movement: Moving toward equality. New York: Chelsea House Pub. Davis, S. (2008). The political thought of Elizabeth Cady Stanton: Womens rights and the American political traditions. New York: New York University Press. Fuller, M. The Great Lawsuit. Man versus Men. Woman versus Women. American Transcendentalism Web. Retrieved from: http://transcendentalism-legacy.tamu.edu/authors/fuller/debate.html Du, B. E. C. (1998). Woman suffrage and womens rights. New York [u.a.: New York Univ. Press. Read More