Elizabeth Cady Stanton

Elizabeth Cady Stanton, "Declaration of Sentiments"

Elizabeth Cady Stanton (1815-1902) was born in Johnstown, New York and attended Emma Willard's Troy Female Seminary. She was a pioneering women's rights leader, a powerful orator, and a writer. Stanton was also the editor of the national feminist newspaper Revolution, a contemporary of Susan B. Anthony, and president of the National Women's Suffrage Association from 1869 to 1890. Her books include Suffrage, A Natural Right (1894), The Woman's Bible (1895-1898, 2 volumes), and Eighty Years and More (1815-1897): Reminiscences of Elizabeth Cady Stanton (1898). She and Anthony can reasonably be said to have started the women's movement in the U.S. "Declaration of Sentiments" was delivered at the Seneca Falls Conference in 1848 and was first published in 1870 as the Address of Mrs. Elizabeth Cady Stanton: Delivered at Seneca Falls & Rochester, N.Y., July 19th & August 2d, 1848.

CONTENT

1. How does the author view married women?
2. What does the author mean by the phrase "a different code of morals for men and women"?
3. How does the author see the future as she goes about her main task?
4. What is Stanton asking the U.S. government to do here?
5. Summarize Stanton's grievances "on the part of man toward woman."

STRATEGY AND STYLE

1. You've seen the first twelve words (and a few more, sprinkled throughout) of this speech somewhere before, verbatim. Where was it and what is the effect of the comparison the author is drawing here? Discuss this usage as an effective or ineffective introduction.
2. A syllogism is a three-part argument that contains a major premise, a minor premise, and a conclusion. Here's an example: major premise—All cats need water; minor premise—Gus is a cat; conclusion—Gus needs water. Find and explain the syllogism in this piece.
3. What audience did Stanton have in mind for this speech? Where in the document can you point to support your answer? How has the nature of this audience changed over time?
4. The words He has are repeated at the beginning of most of the paragraphs from paragraph four through paragraph eighteen. What is the effect of this repetition in light of the author's view of sexual politics?

1. Do you consider yourself a feminist? Do you believe men can be feminists? Explain. How might have the answers to these questions affected your position regarding this piece?
2. How did you picture Stanton as you read her speech? What relationship did this mental image have with your experience of reading it? (By the way, many of the links below will take you to pages with photos of this author.)

SUGGESTIONS FOR SUSTAINED WRITING

1. Read or review "The Declaration of Independence." Write a comparison/contrast essay about it and "Declaration of Sentiments."
2. How far have the Women's Rights Movement and feminism come since 1848, when this speech was first delivered? What needs still have to be addressed? Explain.

FOR FURTHER RESEARCH

Do some research about the 1848 Seneca Falls Conference. (Many of the links below will help get you started.) Besides Stanton, who were some of the other speakers there? How well attended was the event? What were people wearing? How was it received in the press? How did your research add some color to your reading?

WEB CONNECTION

Did you know that Ken Burns and Paul Barnes made a documentary for PBS called Not for Ourselves Alone: The Story of Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony? Take a look at the homepage for the film, which has photos, a quote, and lots of links.

LINKS

Biographical

Here's a hyperlinked biography of Stanton, with a photo album, from the National Park Service.

Looking for a bit of a personal touch? The homepage for the Stanton and Anthony Papers Project Online has reproductions of the two women's autographs and a couple photos.

Bibliographical

Here is Stanton's speech "Solitude of Self," which she gave before the U.S. Senate Committee on Woman Suffrage in 1892. How can you compare this speech to the one that's in your text?

Eighty Years and More is the title of a memoir by Stanton. Click here and you'll find the whole thing in etext. Do you like using etext? Does it have any advantages over plain old hard copy?

Cultural

Stanton was a key figure in what's sometimes called the "first wave" of feminism. Would you like some information that will help you put this movement into a historical context? This collection of links from Northern Arizona University will help you do just that.

Interested in doing a paper about the history of women's suffrage in the U.S.? This hyperlinked introduction to the subject is a great place to start your research.

How about taking a look at the 1848 Seneca Falls Convention in more detail? This page from the American Treasures part of the Library of Congress online has a brief history, some photos, and related links.