LAD #11- Seneca Falls Declaration

Summary:

The Seneca Falls Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions
July 19, 1848

Immediate origin of the woman's rights movement began during the anti-slavery crusade, as at the World Anti-Slavery Convention in London in 1840, American women delegates found themselves excluded. These women "determined the cause of emancipation effected them as well as slaves," and so the Seneca Falls Convention was held in response.

The women of the Seneca Falls Convention held fast to the belief that all men and women were created equal and that they are all given natural rights granted to them in the Constitution -"life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." They once more brought up the idea that the people have a right to amend the government if it is to become destructive, and that it is necessary to remove said legislation if there is a long list of abuses and neglect. The women's main argument was that the American government had existed for too long with men at the center, and now women ought to have the same rights.

The women of the Seneca Falls Convention listed most of the major infringements made by men in the country, and how they have oppressed both the voice and the entitled rights of the women, limiting the already near non-existent role of women in politics. With these actions taken in part by the men, they have assumed dominance over the female gender. The late felt that by now they deserved to get their own form of justices after such a long period of time.

In writing this declaration the women acknowledged that they would undergo ridicule and ignorance in order to obtain what they wanted, yet fully agreed to withstand all that was necessary to reach their goal. With this they hoped the rest of the country would follow in their example.

By issuing this document, the women of the Seneca Falls Convention hoped that all laws and regulations restricting women in the United States would be lifted, and that the country truly could live freely without oppression.