Elizabeth Cady Stanton

Definition

Elizabeth Cady Stanton was a pioneering American social activist and leading figure of the women's rights movement in the 19th century. She played a crucial role in advancing the cause of women's suffrage and equality in the United States.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. Elizabeth Cady Stanton was a key organizer of the Seneca Falls Convention, which is considered the birthplace of the women's rights movement in the United States.
2. Stanton, along with Susan B. Anthony, co-founded the National American Woman Suffrage Association, which played a pivotal role in securing the 19th Amendment, granting women the right to vote.
3. Stanton was a prolific writer and speaker, advocating for a wide range of women's rights, including property ownership, divorce, and child custody laws.
4. She collaborated with Susan B. Anthony to publish the History of Woman Suffrage, a multi-volume work documenting the women's suffrage movement.
5. Stanton's radical views on religion and marriage often put her at odds with more conservative members of the women's rights movement, but her unwavering commitment to gender equality made her a transformative figure.

Review Questions

• Describe the significance of the Seneca Falls Convention in the context of the women's rights movement.
  • The Seneca Falls Convention, organized by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott in 1848, was a pivotal event that launched the modern women's rights movement in the United States. At the convention, Stanton and others presented the Declaration of Sentiments, which outlined the grievances and demands of the women's rights movement, including the right to vote. The Seneca Falls Convention brought national attention to the cause of women's equality and served as a catalyst for the long-running campaign to secure women's suffrage.
• Explain the collaboration between Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony, and their contributions to the women's suffrage movement.
  • Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony were close allies and co-founders of the National American Woman Suffrage Association. Together, they worked tirelessly to advocate for women's suffrage, traveling the country and giving speeches, organizing rallies, and lobbying lawmakers. Stanton and Anthony also collaborated on the monumental History of Woman Suffrage, a multi-volume work that documented the history and progress of the women's suffrage movement. Their partnership and combined efforts were instrumental in securing the passage of the 19th Amendment, which granted women the right to vote in the United States.
• Analyze the ways in which Elizabeth Cady Stanton's radical views on religion and marriage impacted the women's rights movement.
  • Elizabeth Cady Stanton's progressive and often controversial views on religion and marriage set her apart from more conservative members of the women's rights movement. She openly criticized traditional religious institutions and their role in perpetuating the subjugation of women, and she advocated for reforms to marriage and divorce laws that would grant women more autonomy and equality within the institution. While these radical positions sometimes created tensions within the movement, Stanton's unwavering commitment to gender equality and her willingness to challenge the status quo ultimately helped to push the women's rights movement in a more transformative direction, paving the way for future generations of activists to build upon her legacy.

Related terms

Women's Suffrage Movement: The movement that fought for the right of women to vote, led by activists such as Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, and Lucretia Mott.

Declaration of Sentiments:

A document written by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and others at the Seneca Falls Convention in 1848, which outlined the grievances and demands of the women's rights movement.

Seneca Falls Convention:

The first women's rights convention held in the United States, organized by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott in 1848, which launched the modern women's rights movement.