Women's Rights Movement

As the 1800s progressed, there was a growing movement in the north to end slavery and racial discrimination.However, equal rights for women had not progressed in the law. Women of this time were looked upon by the leaders of society as weak and to be kept in the home. Unlike white middle class men, they were not allowed to own property, vote, and hold office. Many women had enough of unequal treatment and rights that were simply unfair.These feelings of frustration of many, led women from all over the country to join together in Seneca Falls, New York to build strategies and campaigns to change the common perception of women.  

Although women had obligations, duties in the home, church and community, they had little rights in the republic. An ideal woman in this time had piety. She was to have religious devotion because it was thought to be good for her salvation. God would also bring the world out of sin through her suffering and love of women. Purity was ideal in a woman also. She was to be pure from sexuality, except in devotion to her husband. If she was not pure, she was not considered a woman. She could be unworthy of love and was considered a lower form of being if she was not pure. Her virginity was the treasure of life and she must protect it and remain pure and chaste until marriage. Female purity was also looked at as a weapon by keeping men in control of their sexual desires. An ideal woman was also submissive to the men in their lives. They wore clothing that was designed to reshape and move the body to unrealistic proportions. This illusion prevented proper muscle development and restricted movement. Finally, ideal women were domestic. They stayed in the home where fulfilling purity and piety was easier. Women were seen in the private sphere, which was in the home and they took charge of what went on inside its four walls. The Cult of Domesticity dictated that women should stay at home and should not do any work outside of the home. The women were truly confined to the home and remained out of the public eye.

The quest for women's rights rose in this era of reform and renewal when they pushed for equality. The Seneca Falls convention was the first women's rights gathering. This event was a forum for both men and women to discuss the social, civil, and religious condition and rights of woman. Women were looking for change and equality among the sexes. A proposition was made to create a statement of purpose called "Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions". This document read like the Declaration of Independence, which Thomas Jefferson had written in 1776 outlining the crimes of the King against the Colonies and the determination of the american people to be free. The Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions used similar language, structure, and ideas of lifting oppressed people out of tyranny. Women provided specific examples of why there was not equality of the sexes, just like Jefferson had provided examples of the crimes the King had committed.The Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions said: " He has never permitted her to exercise her inalienable right to the elective franchise." The Declaration of Independence said: " He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people." The most controversial aspect of the Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions was women's suffrage or the right to vote. The resolution passed, but many of the attendees were opposed, because as Quakers they did not believe in voting. There was a lot of outside criticism and mockery after the resolution was passed. Women did not gain the right to vote for another 70 years. 

While caught up in the fight for women's rights, other disadvantaged groups were excluded. The concerns were the concerns of upper class white women, not of other oppressed groups like Cherokees and enslaved  African American women. Cherokee women had been pushed to unfamiliar territories and were not of the concern after the trail of tears. Slaves had no protection under the law and their pursuit of equal rights was not as important to the attendees. My group analyzed women in New Mexico and learned women were oppressed by the law rather than protected by it. Just like white women, Mexican women did not have equal rights over land, divorce, and domestic violence. In class we developed resolutions, such as equal pay for equal work, freedom of speech, women not under the possession of men, no physical and sexual abuse, and the right to own property. The declaration included similarities such as right to own property, right to work, women not under the possession of men, and right to speak up. It differed in ways such as not addressing male violence against women and equal pay for equal work, which our class discussed.

The most important resolution is the right to be treated equally under the law whether man or woman. This is the foundation of the right to work, own property, vote, divorce rights, and authority over children. Many of the objectives have been accomplished and some have not. In the working world, sometimes women are not paid as much as men or given as much responsibility because men in charge do not give an equal chance. The United States has never had a woman elected president because males are always thought of as more dominant leaders. I am confident that in my lifetime we will see a woman president and women in my generation will have as many opportunities as men to succeed.