Declaration of Sentiments by Elizabeth Cady Stanton

Summary

Elizabeth Cady Stanton's 'Declaration of Sentiments' is a powerful manifesto advocating for women's rights. It parallels the American Declaration of Independence, asserting that women are entitled to equality and the pursuit of happiness. The script details the historical subjugation of women, including denial of voting rights, property ownership, and fair representation. Stanton calls for immediate change, demanding women's full admission to all rights and privileges as citizens, and outlines a strategy for social reform through petitions, education, and legislative action.

Takeaways

• 📜 The 'Declaration of Sentiments' is a significant document in the history of women's rights, written by Elizabeth Cady Stanton.
• 🌟 It asserts the self-evident truth that 'all men and women are created equal' and endowed with inalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
• ⚖️ The document calls for a new government that protects these rights, emphasizing the right to refuse allegiance to a destructive government.
• 🔍 It highlights the systematic oppression of women, detailing how they have been denied their rights to vote, own property, and participate in the formation of laws.
• 🏛️ The script points out that married women are considered 'civilly dead' in the eyes of the law, having no legal rights or property ownership.
• 💼 The economic opportunities for women are limited, with men monopolizing profitable employments and paying women a meager wage for the work they do allow.
• 🚫 Educational opportunities are restricted, with colleges closed to women and no access to professions such as theology, medicine, or law.
• 🏫 The script criticizes the church for denying women a significant role, excluding them from the ministry and limiting their participation in church affairs.
• 🌐 It addresses the creation of a double standard in morality, where men's moral failings are tolerated more than women's.
• 💪 Stanton and her supporters are determined to fight for women's rights, using every means at their disposal, including petitions, conventions, and engaging the press and pulpit.
• 🌟 The 'Declaration of Sentiments' ends with a call for a series of conventions across the country to continue the fight for women's rights and equality.

Q & A

What is the main theme of the 'Declaration of Sentiments' by Elizabeth Cady Stanton?

The main theme of the 'Declaration of Sentiments' is the demand for women's rights and equality, including the right to vote and the end of legal and social discrimination against women.

What does the phrase 'a position different from that which they have hitherto occupied' refer to in the context of the script?

This phrase refers to women's need to assume a new position in society, one that is equal to men's, as opposed to the subordinate position they have traditionally been confined to.

According to the script, what are the 'inalienable rights' that all people, including women, are said to possess?

The 'inalienable rights' mentioned in the script are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

What does the script suggest is the role of governments in relation to securing these rights?

The script suggests that governments are instituted to secure these rights and derive their just powers from the consent of the governed.

What is the significance of the statement 'he has never permitted her to exercise her inalienable right to the elective franchise'?

This statement highlights the denial of women's right to vote, emphasizing that women were not allowed to participate in the political process that affected their lives.

How does the script describe the legal status of married women during that time?

The script describes married women as 'civilly dead' in the eyes of the law, meaning they had no legal identity separate from their husbands and were denied property rights and other legal protections.

What are some of the 'repeated injuries and usurpations' that the script lists as being committed by men against women?

Some of the 'repeated injuries and usurpations' include denying women the right to vote, compelling them to obey laws they had no part in creating, and depriving them of property rights and legal representation.

What is the script's stance on the role of women in education and employment?

The script argues that women are systematically denied access to higher education and are excluded from most profitable employments, receiving only a small remuneration for the work they are allowed to do.

How does the script characterize the societal and moral expectations placed on women?

The script characterizes these expectations as a 'false public sentiment' that assigns a different moral code to men and women, tolerating moral delinquencies in men that would exclude women from society.

What actions does the script propose to achieve the goals of women's rights and equality?

The script proposes employing agents, circulating tracts, petitioning state and national legislatures, and enlisting the support of the pulpit and the press to advocate for women's rights and equality.

Outlines

00:00

📜 Declaration of Sentiments: Inequality and Rights

This paragraph is a powerful declaration by Elizabeth Cady Stanton, advocating for women's rights and equality. It begins with a reference to the 'course of human events' and the necessity for women to assume a position of equality with men, which is a clear allusion to the American Declaration of Independence. Stanton argues that all individuals, regardless of gender, are created equal and possess inalienable rights such as life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. She asserts that governments are established to protect these rights and that it is the right of the governed to change or reject a government that becomes destructive to these ends. Stanton then outlines the historical and ongoing injustices faced by women, including the denial of the right to vote, the lack of representation in law-making, and the legal subjugation of women within marriage. She also points out the economic and educational disadvantages women face, and the societal double standards that perpetuate their oppression. The paragraph concludes with a call for women to demand their rightful place in society and to seek new protections for their future security.

05:01

🔍 Addressing Injustices: Women's Rights Movement

The second paragraph continues the discourse on the plight of women, emphasizing the social and religious degradation they experience due to unjust laws and societal norms. Stanton points out the double standards in morality, the usurpation of women's rights to self-determination, and the undermining of their confidence and self-respect. She highlights the efforts to suppress women's potential and to keep them in a state of dependency and subjugation. Stanton calls for immediate action to grant women their full rights and privileges as citizens. The paragraph concludes with a commitment to use all available means to achieve this goal, including the circulation of information, petitions, and engagement with influential institutions such as the church and the press. Stanton envisions a series of conventions to spread the message and promote change across the United States.

Keywords

💡Declaration of Sentiments

The 'Declaration of Sentiments' refers to a document written by Elizabeth Cady Stanton in 1848, which is a foundational text of the women's rights movement. It is modeled after the United States Declaration of Independence, asserting the equality of all individuals regardless of sex. In the video, this document is recited to emphasize the historical struggle for women's rights and the demand for equal treatment under the law.

💡Inalienable rights

Inalienable rights are those rights that are considered to be fundamental and inherent to all individuals, which cannot be taken away by any government or person. In the context of the video, these rights include 'life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.' The script argues that women, like men, possess these rights, and the denial of these rights to women is a central theme of the speech.

💡Elective franchise

The 'elective franchise' refers to the right to vote in political elections. The script highlights that women were denied this fundamental democratic right, which is a significant aspect of their disenfranchisement. The demand for the elective franchise is a key point in the push for gender equality and political representation.

💡Patriarchy

Patriarchy is a social system in which men hold primary power and are dominant in roles of political leadership, moral authority, and social privilege. The video script describes a historical context where patriarchal norms and laws have subjugated women, leading to their lack of representation and rights in society.

💡Disenfranchisement

Disenfranchisement is the act of depriving individuals of their rights, particularly the right to vote. In the video, this term is used to describe the systematic exclusion of women from political processes and decision-making, which is a central issue that the Declaration of Sentiments seeks to address.

💡Representation

Representation in this context refers to the presence of individuals or groups in a political body or system that allows them to have a voice and influence in decision-making. The script argues that women's lack of representation in legislative bodies is a form of oppression that needs to be rectified for true equality.

💡Subjugation

Subjugation is the act of bringing someone under one's control or domination. In the script, it is used to describe the historical and social control exerted over women by men, which has led to the denial of their rights and freedoms.

💡Moral responsibility

Moral responsibility refers to the capacity of individuals to be held accountable for their actions based on ethical standards. The video script points out that women were often not held to the same moral standards as men, and their actions were often excused or overlooked, which contributed to their social and legal marginalization.

💡Educational opportunities

Educational opportunities refer to the availability and access to education for individuals. The script notes that women were systematically denied access to higher education and professional training, which limited their ability to participate fully in society and the workforce.

💡Public sentiment

Public sentiment refers to the collective attitudes and opinions of the public on a particular issue. In the video, it is mentioned that men have created a false public sentiment that justifies the unequal treatment of women, perpetuating gender stereotypes and biases.

💡Sphere of action

The 'sphere of action' refers to the area or domain in which individuals are allowed to act or make decisions. The script criticizes the notion that women's roles and actions should be limited or prescribed by men, arguing instead for women's autonomy and self-determination.

Highlights

Declaration of Sentiments by Elizabeth Cady Stanton

Necessity for women to assume a position different from what they have hitherto occupied

All men and women are created equal and endowed with inalienable rights

Governments are instituted to secure rights and derive their powers from the consent of the governed

Right to refuse allegiance to a destructive government and insist on a new government

Women's patient sufferance and the necessity to demand equal station

History of repeated injuries and usurpations by men towards women

Denial of the right to vote and representation in legislation

Married women are civilly dead in the eyes of the law

Withholding of rights and property from women, even to the wages they earn

Laws of divorce framed to disregard women's happiness

Monopolization of profitable employments and unequal pay for women

Denial of educational opportunities and access to higher learning

Subordinate position of women in church and state

False public sentiment created by different moral codes for men and women

Claiming authority to assign a sphere of action for women, which should belong to their conscience and God

Efforts to destroy women's confidence and make them lead a dependent life

Demand for immediate admission to all rights and privileges as citizens of the United States

Anticipating misconception, misrepresentation, and ridicule but determined to affect their object

Plan to employ agents, circulate tracts, and petition for change

Hope for a series of conventions to spread the message across the country

Transcripts

declaration of sentiments by Elizabeth

Cady Stanton this is a library according

all library Ock's recordings are in the

public domain for more information or to

volunteer please visit librivox.org when

in the course of human events it becomes

necessary for one portion of the family

of man to assume among the people of the

earth a position different from that

which they have hitherto occupied but

one to which the laws of nature and of

nature's God entitle them a decent

respect to the opinions of mankind

requires that they should declare the

causes that impel them to such a course

we hold these truths to be self-evident

that all men and women are created equal

that they are endowed by their creator

with certain inalienable rights that

among these are life liberty and the

pursuit of happiness that to secure

these rights governments are instituted

deriving their just powers from the

consent of the governed whenever any

form of government becomes destructive

of these ends it is the right of those

who suffer from it to refuse allegiance

to it and to insist upon the institution

of a new government laying its

foundation on such principles and

organizing its powers in such form as to

them shall seem most likely to effect

their safety and happiness prudence

indeed will dictate that governments

long established should not be changed

for light and transient causes and

accordingly all experience hath shown

that mankind are more disposed to suffer

while evils are sufferable than to right

themselves by abolishing the forms to

which they were accustomed but when a

long train of abuses and usurpations

pursuing invariably the same object

evinces a design to reduce them under

absolute despotism it is their duty to

throw off such government and to provide

new guards for their future security

such has been the patient sufferance of

the women under this government and such

is now the necessity which constrains

them to demand the equal station to

which they are entitled

the history of mankind is a history of

repeated injuries and usurpations on the

part of man toward woman having in

direct object the establishment of an

absolute Tyranny over her to prove this

let facts be submitted to a candid world

he has never permitted her to exercise

her an alienable right to the elective

franchise he has compelled her to submit

to laws in the formation of which she

had no voice he has withheld from her

rights which are given to the most

ignorant and degraded men both natives

and foreigners having deprived her of

this first right of a citizen the

elective franchise thereby leaving her

without representation in the halls of

legislation he has oppressed her on all

sides he has made her if married in the

eye of the law civilly dead he has taken

from her all right and property even to

the wages she earns he has made her

morally an irresponsible being as she

can commit many crimes with impunity

provided they be done in the presence of

her husband in the Covenant of marriage

she is compelled to promise obedience to

her husband he becoming to all intents

and purposes her master the law giving

him power to deprive her of her liberty

and to administer chastisement he has so

framed the laws of divorce as to what

shall be the proper causes and in case

of separation to whom the guardianship

of the children shall be given as to be

wholly regardless of the happiness of

women the law in all cases going upon a

false supposition to the supremacy of

man and giving all power into his hands

after depriving her of all rights as a

married woman if single and the owner of

property he has taxed her to support the

government which recognizes her only

when her property can be made profitable

to it

he has monopolized nearly all the

profitable employments and from those

she is permitted to follow she receives

but a scanty remuneration he closes

against her all the avenues to wealth

and distinction

which he considers most honorable to

himself as a teacher of theology

medicine or law she has not known he has

denied her the facilities for obtaining

a thorough education all colleges being

closed against her he allows her in

church as well as state but a

subordinate position claiming apostolic

authority for her exclusion from the

ministry and with some exceptions from

any public participation in the affairs

of the church he has created a false

public sentiment by giving to the world

a different code of morals for men and

women by which moral delinquencies which

exclude women from society are not only

tolerated but deemed of little account

in man he has usurped the prerogative of

Jehovah himself claiming it as his right

to assign for her a sphere of action

when that belongs to her conscience and

to her God he has endeavoured in every

way that he could to destroy her

confidence in her own powers to lessen

her self-respect

and to make her willing to lead a

dependent and abject life now in view of

this entire disfranchisement of one-half

the people of this country their social

and religious degradation in view of the

unjust laws above-mentioned

and because women do feel themselves

aggrieved oppressed and fraudulently

deprived of their most sacred rights we

insist that they have immediate

admission to all the rights and

privileges which belonged to them as

citizens of the United States in

entering upon the great work before us

we anticipate no small amount of

misconception misrepresentation and

ridicule but we shall use every

instrumentality within our power to

affect our object we shall employ agents

circulate tracts petition the state and

national legislatures and endeavour to

enlist the pulpit and the press in our

behalf we hope this convention will be

followed by a series of conventions

embracing every part of the country

end of declaration of sentiments by

Elizabeth Cady Stanton