{"id":2105,"date":"2022-09-02T15:43:48","date_gmt":"2022-09-02T15:43:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/housedivided.dickinson.edu\/sites\/teagle\/?page_id=2105"},"modified":"2022-09-02T15:44:37","modified_gmt":"2022-09-02T15:44:37","slug":"close-reading-of-declaration-of-sentiments-1848","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/housedivided.dickinson.edu\/sites\/teagle\/close-reading-of-declaration-of-sentiments-1848\/","title":{"rendered":"Close Reading of Declaration of Sentiments (1848)"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Etsub Taye<\/strong><\/h2>\n

A Case for Equal Rights<\/strong><\/h1>\n
\"Woman<\/a>
Elizabeth Cady Stanton speaking during the first Women’s Rights Convention at Seneca Falls, New York. Courtesy of Bettman Archives (getty images)<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In 1848, the first women\u2019s convention was held in Seneca Falls, New York. At the convention \u201cThe Declaration of Sentiments\u201d<\/a> was drafted to assert the natural rights of women as being equal to the natural rights of men. The author, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, mimicked the language and structure of \u201cThe Declaration of Independence,\u201d using evocative language to draw comparisons in order to advocate for the equal rights of women. However, despite drawing a parallel between the two documents, Stanton failed in elevating her document to revolutionary status.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Generated
Courtesy of Etsub Taye.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Stanton\u2019s decision to draw a comparison between women\u2019s rights to a document written 72 years prior was strategic because it captured the attention of its audience. Furthermore, the document repeats the philosophy of John Locke\u2019s \u201cSecond Treatise of Government\u201d which declared that all people had a natural or inherent right. Knowing the influence of Locke on Jefferson, Stanton showcased the validity of her argument by describing the disenfranchisement of women in a list of grievances. Stanton wrote \u201che has\u201d then would interchange a strong verb to evoke emotion. She employed the use of words like \u201csuffer,\u201d \u201cdeprive,\u201d \u201cabuse,\u201d over 40 times to compel sympathy. [1] Like Jefferson, Stanton used passive language to showcase women\u2019s injuries. This allowed her to emphasize that women were being barred from accessing their natural rights which as a result gave her standing to protest for change. <\/span><\/p>\n

The caveat to modeling The Declaration of Sentiments so heavily on The Declaration of Independence however is that it was always going to be overshadowed. Its lack of originality prevented it from ever achieving the same amount of lasting notoriety.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Portrait<\/a>
Photograph of Elizabeth Cady Stanton (seated) and Susan B Anthony (standing) the two main proponents of Women’s Suffrage. Courtesy of the Library of Congress<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u00a0It is also important to recognize that Stanton was petitioning for the rights of educated wealthy white women like her, not for all men and women. She does not explicitly advocate for the rights of the enslaved. Moreover, unlike \u201cThe Declaration of Independence,\u201d Stanton does not fully commit to protesting like Jefferson. Her call for women to demand \u201cequal status to which they are entitled\u201d diverges from Jefferson\u2019s call to colonists to \u201calter their former systems of government.\u201d<\/span> Stanton\u2019s aim was not to separate from the current government but to work within it. [2] This is not surprising since the resolution for women\u2019s right to vote at the convention was a point of contention among delegates in 1848. Given the public reaction to the document, many women of the convention were hesitant to be radical in fear of their lives.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
The Declaration of Sentiments from a report published by John Dick at the North Star Office. Courtesy of the Library of Congress.<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When further comparing the two documents, \u201cThe Declaration of Sentiments\u201d demonstrates their fear as it lacks force. For instance the document \u201cinsists\u201d on equal rights and promises to pursue them by stating \u201cwe shall employ agents, circulate tracts, petition the pulpit and the press on our behalf.\u201d [3]<\/span> The forms of protest they chose to make were significant but not nearly disruptive enough to be revolutionary. Nevertheless, the efforts of Stanton and \u201cThe Declaration of Sentiments\u201d should be celebrated and remembered. Although the document didn\u2019t warrant immediate change it served as a foundation for the suffragist movement.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Excerpt<\/strong>\u00a0from “The\u00a0Declaration of Sentiments,” Seneca Falls Convention (1848), read by Etsub Taye<\/strong><\/p>\n\nhttp:\/\/housedivided.dickinson.edu\/sites\/teagle-taye\/files\/2021\/07\/Dickinson-College-12.m4a<\/a><\/audio>\n

 <\/p>\n

Footnotes:<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Elizabeth Cady Stanton, <\/span>Declaration of Sentiments, July 19, 1848, Seneca Falls, NY, Reproduced by the <\/span>National Park Service<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n
  2. \u00a0Stanton, <\/span>Declaration of Sentiments; <\/span>Thomas Jefferson, et al, Declaration of Independence: A Transcription, July 4, 1776, Philadelphia, PA, Reproduced by National Archives<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n
  3. \u00a0Stanton, <\/span>Declaration of Sentiments<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

     <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    By Etsub Taye A Case for Equal Rights In 1848, the first women\u2019s convention was held in Seneca Falls, New York. At the convention \u201cThe Declaration of Sentiments\u201d was drafted to assert the natural rights of women as being equal to the natural rights of men. The author, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, mimicked the language and … <\/p>\n

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