The Declaration of Sentiments
Feminism in the United States: The Declaration of Sentiments
Introduction
In the year 1848, Elizabeth Cady Stanton conveyed to the audience of the Seneca Falls Convention the Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions. The Declaration of Sentiments was written with the purpose of demanding civil freedom for women and of righting the wrongs of society. The Declaration included events where women’s rights were being oppressed and violated and where laws were giving special treatment to men. It also included the resolutions they demanded on these particular cases.
In addition, the Declaration was written due to the fact that women in all parts of the globe were being oppressed for many years. The women in many countries, just like in the United States of America, were given a limited set of rights in the society compared to their male counterparts. One great example of this was the women’s suffrage in the United States, which was not inherently given to them until its national enactment in the year 1920.
Analysis
The document was specifically written for women and the events that revolved around their poor conditions in the past. It was also evident that one of its objectives was to promote and endorse feminism. This was due to the fact that women in America were being oppressed up until the mid-20th century. As Martha C. Wright indicated, the American women at the time, specifically the wives, must consider all of the things that would please her husband and should always give affection to her partner.
The paper also discussed the term “smiling countenance,” which women in the country usually practiced. This term meant that wives should always smile before their husband regardless of the annoyances or problems they experienced during the day. This depicted how women were mistreated in those years.
Furthermore, the points and historical events in the paper were beautifully presented. A foreign tourist would respond to this paper with a mix of disappointment and delight. They would be disappointed due to the reason that the US, known as one of the world’s superpowers, was once an oppressor of women’s rights. The paper clearly gave a good overview on how tough it was for a woman to live in that current era where men had the most privilege. Although the document presented the US as a country that had a dark past regarding women’s rights, it also showed how women of the country were strong-willed individuals and how they persevered for many years for their rights to be given.
Also, the paper showed the United States in an unfavorable light in terms of culture and politics. It was stated how the US took away women’s rights and made them feel like slaves for a long time. It was also portrayed how prevalent gender inequality was in the country. Wright was able to bring the readers to their time by describing how a normal wife would go through her day and differentiated the status of the husband from that of the wife. According to Wright, the wives of her time were responsible for taking care of the children while the husband would just have to eat his breakfast and go to work. The wife, amidst the clamor, was expected to settle the pending tasks in the kitchen and the quarrels among her children. As night comes, the husband would just go straight to bed and sleep quietly while the wife still fulfilled her responsibility as a mother and smile amidst the confusion. It was clear how mistreated the women in the US were during that time. Adding to this, it was also discussed how women in the US had a hard time in their fight for suffrage, access to higher education, and gender based salary differences, which were not inherently given to them.
Conclusion
The paper was able to provide enough background to make the readers feel the importance of the historical events. The paper was fruitful in citing Wright’s literature as an example, as it depicted how the women in the US were treated during that era. Similarly, the paper did a good job of interpreting and adding more knowledge by explicating some lines in Wright’s work, which helped the readers relate more to the issues at the time.
Additionally, the narrative was successful in presenting the paper to their readers. The way that it stated the facts and retold history was very enjoyable. It didn’t go too deep but was not too shallow either. It provided the necessary and basic information about the event while also providing additional data on the other aspects of the story.
Personally, the writer thinks that the points and arguments that were presented in the Declaration of Sentiments were very effective n persuading and giving a strong impact in its audience. It clearly relayed its message in a persuading manner but with a demanding tone, which signified that they wanted change.
The document did a good job again in providing proper context for the event. It also discussed clearly the status of the local political climate in upstate New York and the slavery movement. Although it lacked key information, it was enough for the readers to understand.
Also, it was a great idea to commemorate, in the form of national park, the historical events that happened. It would give a sense of pride for all the women out there. This would act as a symbol of how cruel the history of women was, and how it should not be allowed to happen again.
Overall, the writing was able to enrich my pride and understanding as an American since it presented how strong-willed the women in that era were. How they fought for women’s suffrage, women’s rights issues, property right in marriage, access to higher education, and gender based salary differences while remaining successful through the years is admirable. Although the paper showed some of the country’s dark past, it was evident that the good still outweighed the bad.
Bibliography
Offen, K. (1999). Women and the question of “Universal” Suffrage in 1848: A transatlantic
comparison of suffragist rhetoric, 11(1), 150-177.
Penney, S. H. & Livingston, J. D. (2003).Getting to the source.Hints for Wives—and Husbands.
15(2), 180-187.
Bibliography
Penney, Sherry H. & Livingston, James D. Getting to the source. Hints for Wives—and
Husbands.EBSCO Publishing, 2003.
Offen, Karen. Women and the question of “Universal” Suffrage in 1848: A transatlantic
comparison of suffragist rhetoric. Indiana University Press, 1999.
