Jefferson and Elizabeth Stanton directed their individual pieces to different audiences. According to Jefferson, if all men had been created equal gender, this would have been insensitive. And it implies that only men are equal. African American men and women were not equal because black Americans were not taken as people in the past. In the same book, Jefferson emphasized the equality existing between men and the king because many were upset with the title of the British Kind. Nevertheless, Stanton declared specifically that all women and men are created equal.
Chapter ONE
The word "women" is used to emphasize the equality to be expected between the two groups of individuals; female and male. Both writers used certain terms to assert the cause for which they were fighting which is the equality between females and males, as well as some form of equality between the males and the king respectively. Nonetheless with Elizabeth Stanton's argument and audience changes, her statement brought on a wide perspective. Apart from advocating for the equality, she struggled to fight for the equality of all people in the world. The Declaration of Independence is a well known example that is why Stanton has used it when writing his piece.
The Declaration contained clear-cut differences on ideology. Jefferson detailed the tyrannical usurpations and abuses of King George III committed against the Americans. Jefferson claimed that the king shouted down colonial wrongly legislatures. He refused to grant the colonies the opportunity to legislate for themselves. But instead to convene legislatures inconveniently, Jefferson also accused this king of assuming judicial powers illegally. While manipulating the court system and judges, he claimed that King George III restricted trade, conspired with other nations against the colonists, imposed unnecessary taxes, coerced sailors to mend British ships and took military action against civilians. Jefferson noted that the colonists' repeated petitions to the king in an attempt to restore mutual relations.
However, the king kept ignoring them consistently. Americans also appealed for help to the British people on several occasions but to no avail, Jefferson concluded that the colonists had lots of choice. Rather than to declare liberation from the British and establish a sovereign government that would protect their fundamental rights, he believed that achievement of such a goal required various states to come together to form United States of America (Rife 42).
Chapter TWO
In the Declaration of Sentiments, Stanton enumerated some areas of life where women got unfair treatment. She took so much of her time to point out the exact aspects of mistreatment in order to convince her audience this was real. The declaration contained up to 18 grievances the revolutionary forefathers of America had listed in this document in a bid to free them from England. At this time, traditional roles of women were still in place and for this reason; the Declaration caused controversy (Seneca 2002).
Most Americans revered the courage and ability behind the writing of the document but nobody was willing to put aside his or her conventional mindsets. In fact, the document was described in the Oneida Whig as the most unnatural and shocking event to be recorded in the woman's history. Many local news papers insisted that the document was written at the expense of appropriate duties for women at a time where female rights were critical issues. Many supporters of rights often thought that the document's endorsement of women suffrage was handful. The nascent rights movement would be hindered by bringing about the loss and of its much needed support from the public. Declaration of Sentiments was, therefore only about the rights of women. It caused a lot of controversy unlike the Declaration of independence.
Jefferson is more convincing and courageous as his words in the Declaration of independence showed. One compelling piece of evidence show that Jefferson is convincing that the listing of all King George's wrongs. He reveals to the Americans all the inadequacies and omissions of the King. His ability to state these wrongs sensationally is appealing, and more so his unique ability to link this unjust treatment with the need to call for independence.
Stanton is not convincing and lacks solidity in Declaration of Sentiments. She only focuses on the wellbeing of a woman but her allegations were not presented in a manner that captures the emotions of her audience.
Works Cited
- Rife, Douglas M. ‘Declaration of Independence’. New York: Lorenz Educational Press, 2007. Print.
- Seneca Falls. ‘Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions’. New York: Lorenz Educational Press. 2002. Print.
