Elizabeth Cady Stanton

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that, at the mid-point of the nineteenth century, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and her so-called "Ladies of Seneca Falls" objected to rules and regulations and norms of "proper" behavior laid down for them by men and which required that women forfeit their legal existences once they marry. The author points out that Cady Stanton's so-called racial period began when she started having doubts about religion; therefore, freed traditional religious obligations, she turned to a form of religious liberalism. The paper stresses that Elizabeth Cady Stanton's theme was "feminine individualism": Women were every bit as good as men and should not be treated as if they were somehow inferior.

From the Paper:

"While other names pop up throughout the decades, it is still the strength of Cady Stanton that kept the movement alive and vivid. It was she who righted the ship when another feminist activist was accused of an adulterous affair. In fact, 1876, the one-hundredth anniversary of the Declaration of Independence was sought as a time to promote women's rights. Lobbying by influential women, including Cady Stanton, produced a special "Women's Building" erected on the grounds of the Philadelphia Exposition in 1876. Cady Stanton, and some others, planned to write a Declaration of Women's Rights, to be read in that building on July 4th. Although the central force dealt with denial of voting rights, Cady Stanton also included "articles of impeachment" against those in charge of the government who refused to recognize the equality and rights of women."

More papers on Elizabeth Cady Stanton:

• Book Review # 74712 : "Elizabeth Cady Stanton: A Radical for Women's Rights"
• Essay # 68090 : "Feminist Elizabeth Cady Stanton"
• Essay # 23384 : "Elizabeth Cady Stanton"

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