Women’s Rights - Anna

“And ain’t I a woman?” Women’s rights movements in the 1800's

In the mid-eighteen hundreds, women could not vote, hold office, own land, or have control their own money. Their husbands could abuse or discipline in any way that they wanted. They were inspired by the Second Great Awakening and abolitionists, and women decided to speak out for the rights that they deserve.

Two women, Lucretia Mott and Elizabeth Cady Stanton met at an anti-slavery convention in London, the year of 1940. After being outraged that women could not speak at the meeting and having to sit behind the curtain, these two women decided to make an active movement on women’s rights. Elizabeth Blackwell, the first female doctor, was rejected by twenty-nine medical schools and even when she graduated, top of her class, hospitals refused to work with her. This is when Stanton and Mott realized that women had to team up to defend their rights.

Women met at Seneca Falls, New York on July 19, 1848 for a women’s rights movement led by Stanton and Mott. They used the Declaration of Independence as a model, and made the Declaration of Sentiments declaring that women should have the same rights as men and should be able to vote and work any job that they want to. This Seneca Falls movement helped women like Sojourner Truth speak out with her famous “And ain’t I a woman?” speech.

I think this movement was very successful. According to http://www.womenwork.org/policy/factwomenwork.htm, in 2006, women made up 46% of the workforce. Women can now vote, hold office, own their own land, and protect themselves from abusive husbands.