A Declaration of
the Rights of Woman
The gathering at Seneca Falls: A turning point for the Republic.
As women became the backbone of the Temperance and Abolitionist movements, a profound realization dawned: the chains they fought to break for others were mirrored in their own social standing. Comparing their treatment to that of the enslaved, and invigorated by the spirit of Transcendentalism, women have gathered at Seneca Falls to demand their place in the Republic.
From the Declaration of Sentiments
"We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men and women are created equal... The history of mankind is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations on the part of man toward woman."Progress is hard-won. While the Married Women's Property Act has granted rights in New York, the rest of the Union remains stagnant. Success is found in small victories: Oberlin College has opened its doors, and the teaching profession expands, yet the ballot box remains guarded by the heavy hand of tradition.
Timeline of Milestones
- 1833: Oberlin College accepts women.
- 1837: First Anti-Slavery Convention of American Women.
- 1848: Seneca Falls Convention; Declaration signed.
- 1848: NY Married Women's Property Act passed.
- 1849: The Lily begins publication.
