LAD/Blog #11: Seneca Falls Convention

The Seneca Falls Convention led to the creation of the Declaration of Sentiments, a document that mirrored the Declaration of Independence. Where the Declaration of Independence, written in 1776, established America as an independent nation, the Declaration of Sentiments, written in 1848, sought to similarly establish women as independent and equal beings to men. Women believed, correctly, that they were being slighted, not granted the same rights as men which should have been granted to them by the Declaration of Independence. Their grievances included: the fact that they had to adhere to laws that they had had no say in creating, they had to adhere to the laws and demands laid by their husbands, even rights given to low-class men were not granted to women, legislation could oppress women with no representation, a married woman could not act politically, women could not have their own land or wages, women had a subordinate position within the church and the state, and the government had prevented women from becoming educated equally to men. Women fought to reverse these circumstances, considering themselves equal to men and asserting that the American government was run by and for the people-- thus, women, as people, should have a say in their government and how it governs them.