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Social Reform --Women's Rights -- Grade 08 -- Internet Resources
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Woman must not depend upon the protection of man,

but must be taught to protect herself.

- Susan B. Anthony

OVERVIEW

In the early 1800s, women were treated differently than men. In many states they were not allowed to hold a public office, go to college, become professionals, or own property. In no state were they allowed the right to vote. Industrialization, however, began to give women more economic power. They took jobs in places like the Lowell textile mills to earn money of their own. Young women began leaving their homes to work in the mills. Some joined labor unions and learned how to protest against unfair working conditions. Others gained respect by helping to lead reform movements for temperance or abolition of slavery. Although opportunities increased, women were still treated unequally. In 1848, Lucretia Mott and Elizabeth Cady Stanton called for the first national convention for women’s rights to take place in Seneca Falls, New York. Men and women attended the convention and declared that women should have equal rights in society, including the right to vote. They wrote a document called the Declaration of Sentiments that listed the rights of women. Many female leaders faced harsh criticism from people who did not want to see women change the way they lived. Some even went to jail for their beliefs. The women’s movement would not make serious gains until the end of the 1800s, and it was not until 1920 that women finally gained the right to vote.

The “Declaration of Sentiments,” (below) was written as part of a pamphlet from the Seneca Falls Convention, a national convention for women’s rights in 1848. Use the document to identify the beliefs of women’s rights reformers.

The Declaration of Sentiments

URL: http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/index.html

1) Type “Seneca Falls Convention 1848” in the SEARCH box.

2) Choose ITEM TITLE (3) – First Convention Ever Called to Discuss the Civil and Political Rights of Women, Seneca Falls, New York, July 19, 20, 1848.

3) Double click on the image to enlarge it.

4) Scroll down and click NEXT IMAGE to read pages 2 - 4 only.

The document below is an advertisement for the Seneca Falls Convention. It was published in the Seneca County Courier, July 14, 1848. Use information in the document to identify methods used by the women’s rights reformers to bring about change.

Seneca Falls Convention Call

URL: http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/index.html

1) Type “Seneca Falls Convention 1848” in the SEARCH box.

2) Choose ITEM TITLE (1) – The first convention ever called to discuss the

civil and political rights of women, Seneca Falls, New York, July 19, 20,

1848.

3) Double click on the first image to enlarge it.

Last updated 03.13.2007. Created by Michael Warner, Library Media Specialist