Stanton And Women Liberty Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Stanton And Women Liberty - Essay Example During the period of American Revolution, white males having personal property were allowed to vote, the general attitude about women started to grow conservative. Women were allowed limited privileges, and had certain responsibilities to be carried out, including household activities. Elizabeth arranged a meeting in 1848, at Waterloo. The purpose of the gathering was to fight for women rights. Her colleagues were Quakers and were associated with anti slavery cause and temperance movement. In the meeting, she openly criticized the American government for its failure to protect and safeguard the rights of women. She discussed some of her concerns in this regard. She protested against laws, that offered husband with the permission to beat his wife, she protested for not allowing wife to divorce her spouse. The previous laws and practices, according to which, when a woman got married, all of her property, including her children, automatically became her husband's property, was opposed and challenged. Elizabeth immediately requested revival of policies. The meeting concluded with a plan to launch Women's Rights Convention, where Elizabeth drew up a declaration of woman's right and modeled it after the Declaration of Independence. Elizabeth protested and condemned such laws, according to which married women was treated as if she was civilly dead, women had no right on their property and earnings. She openly criticized the divorce laws for ignoring the happiness of wife, imposing taxes on her property, but not providing her with the right to vote, and demanded right to vote. She demanded equal education for all, irrespective of gender. Elizabeth was then selected as the leader of women's rights movement. She struggled, and never lost courage and determination. Majority was against her views regarding women, and opposition poured in from all sides. Elizabeth criticized the society for considering women as secondary or inferior being, without the ability to think logically, especially in the political arena. (Blatch, Harriot Stanton an d Alma Lutz (1940). Challenging Years: the Memoirs of Harriot Stanton Blatch). In 1851, Elizabeth met Susan B. Anthony, both applied concentrated efforts for women's right. Elizabeth possessed personality and strong speaking ability; she was the brains, the public figure for this cause. Elizabeth was selected as the President of National American Women's Suffrage Association; she remained in this authority from 1869 to 1892. She spent her time circulating and signing petitions for emancipation activities, during the civil war. She stressed that the women population should be allowed to vote, she concluded that, women's suffrage can only be addressed if constitutional amendment in incorporated allowing women right to cast independent vote. She desired the political empowerment of American women. In one of Elizabeth's later speeches that she delivered in 1892, tilted The Solitude of Self, she stated that every individual, irrespective of gender, stands alone. An individual, according to her, is responsible for personal actions, and therefore should accept consequ ences, create a moral life, and take a stand or not. Before moving to Seneca Falls, Elizabeth developed strong interaction with Lucretia Mott, the Quaker minister, feminist, and abolitionist. She met her at the International Anti-Slavery Convention in London, England in the spring of 1840. The two women were able to