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In 1848 the first women's convention was held at Seneca Falls, NY and attended by over three hundred men and women. The Seneca Falls Convention was the first opportunity women had to voice their opinion publicly about the serious limitations of inequality. Elizabeth Cady Stanton and other anti-slavery advocates organized the convention to directly address women's rights. Public speakers raised serious issues including women's educational opportunities, equality under the law, and the right to vote. The political atmosphere had never been considered a place for women and the mere suggestion of women's right to vote was a radical idea. The Declaration of Sentiments was drafted and signed by men and women. Resembling the Declaration of Independence, it was the first formal declaration for women's right to vote. Susan B. Anthony, another prominent figure in the struggle for equality, actively spoke out against the inequities women suffered. The next twenty years were filled with similar conventions and the movement gained a notable momentum. Brilliant women successfully persuaded more men to support their effort, which only helped change a government made up of males.
The suffrage movement coalesced around the fight for the rights of African American slaves. Petitions were signed and sent to Congress calling for an amendment including the enfranchisement of women. The end of the Civil War was marked by the 15th Amendment, which included African American men in the definition of citizen for the first time in history. The end of slavery and the word citizen defined specifically as male did not mark the end of women's suffrage. The outright exclusion of women forced the movement to pursue a federal woman's suffrage amendment. Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton founded the women only National Woman Suffrage Association (NWSA) in 1869, which favored congressional action. |
Copyright Molly Egan, Jason Wood; Lehigh University 1999