Basic Information

Elizabeth Cady Stanton was born in Johnstown, New York on November 12^th, 1815. She is one of the most well-known suffragists in American history as she publicly spoke and wrote about the inequalities that women faced. Stanton was the first woman to organize the first Woman’s Rights Convention which signaled the beginning of the women’s suffrage movement (“Elizabeth Cady Stanton Obituary”, 1902).

Background Information

Stanton was born to Daniel Cady and Margaret Livingston Cady. Daniel Cady was a well-known lawyer in Johnstown and also served in Congress as a judge on the New York Supreme Court (“Stanton, Elizabeth Cady”, n.d.). Due to her family’s wealthy and affluent background, Stanton learned about law through reading her father’s law books and his interactions with his law students (“Elizabeth Cady Stanton”, n.d.). She noticed that her father told abused women that they had no legal rights within their marriage, meaning that they had to endure the abuse from their husbands. Women having no legal rights to property angered Stanton, which likely contributed to her later desire to fight for women’s suffrage. As for her formal education, Stanton studied at Johnstown Academy and graduated from Emma Willard’s Troy Female Seminary in 1832 (“Stanton, Elizabeth Cady”, n.d.; “Timeline”, n.d.).

In Stanton’s early twenties, her cousin, Gerrit Smith introduced her to her soon-to-be husband, Henry Stanton. She married him in 1840, going against her parents’ wishes, as he was not as wealthy as her family (“Elizabeth Cady Stanton”, n.d.). When they married, Stanton chose to keep her maiden name, so rather than being referred to as Mrs. Henry B. Stanton, she was referred to as Elizabeth Cady Stanton (“Stanton, Elizabeth Cady”, n.d.). Stanton had a home life and with her husband, they had seven children from 1842 to 1861 (Rossi, 1995, p. 48).

Contributions to the First Wave

Stanton’s greatest contribution to the First Wave of feminism and the suffrage movement to date was her role in organizing the first Woman’s Rights Convention. Active in the abolitionist movement, Henry Stanton was an agent for the American Anti-Slavery Society (“Elizabeth Cady Stanton”, n.d.). During their honeymoon, Stanton and her husband attended the World Anti-Slavery Convention in 1840. While there, she met Lucretia Mott as they were both denied seats in the convention with the men. Through their outrage, they both vowed that they would organize a women’s rights convention and this signaled Stanton’s involvement in fighting for equal rights (Wagner, 2019, p. 58). In 1846, Stanton and her husband moved to Seneca Falls, New York. A few years later in 1848, she organized the first Woman’s Rights Convention (“Timeline”, n.d.). Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucretia Mott, Mary Ann McClintock, and Martha Coffin Wright gathered to discuss the issues of women’s rights and doctored the Declaration of Sentiments, which included a list of grievances in regard to women’s lack of rights (Rossi, 1995, p. 58). The Declaration of Sentiments was modeled after the Declaration of Independence, except there was one distinct addition that Stanton made; she added “women” (e.g., “We hold these truths as self-evident: that all men and women are created equal”). This political statement inferred that women also have natural rights and therefore deserve equality (Rossi, 1995, pp. 37-40). The first Woman’s Rights Convention was held in Seneca Falls, New York on July 19^th and 20^th in 1848. Here, the Declaration of Sentiments was read by Stanton and it was signed by those present. One controversial part of the convention was when Stanton secretly added the grievance that women are being deprived of the right to vote. This was the only resolution that did not unanimously pass at the convention because it was even controversial among the women in attendance.  Specifically, Quakers refused to vote in a democracy that upheld slavery and so during this time prior to abolition they did not want suffrage (Wagner, 2019, pp. 60-61). Regardless of the controversy, this convention and the signing of the Declaration of Sentiments signaled the First Wave of feminism and the suffrage movement.

In 1851, Stanton met Susan B. Anthony which sparked a lifelong friendship. She and Anthony were active in the temperance movement as they founded the Women’s New York State Temperance Society in 1852, which advocated the abstinence of alcohol. In 1863, she also contributed to abolition with Anthony and other women when they founded the Women’s Loyal National League (WLNL). The WLNL pushed for the Thirteenth Amendment, which later abolished slavery. In 1866, this was a significant year for Stanton as she petitioned universal suffrage to Congress and was the first female candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives. From 1968-1970, Stanton was also a joint editor of the Revolution, which was a women’s rights newspaper she and Anthony formed. (“Timeline”, n.d.).

Stanton contributed to the suffrage movement by cofounding the National Woman Suffrage Association (NWSA) with Susan B. Anthony. She was also the NWSA’s first president from 1869 to 1890. The two women formed the NWSA in attempt to have the Fifteenth Amendment outlaw disenfranchisement on the account of sex (“Timeline”, n.d.). Unfortunately, when established, the Fifteenth Amendment excluded women. Regardless of this setback, Stanton led the NWSA which ended up being one of the two main active women’s suffrage groups during the First Wave of feminism. Later, in 1890, the NWSA merged with the American Woman Suffrage Association (NWSA) to form the NAWSA where Stanton was elected as president (“Timeline”, n.d.).

As opposed to the AWSA, the NWSA was against the Fifteenth Amendment granting Black men the right to vote. Instead, Stanton and Anthony wanted the amendment to include women, meaning they wanted universal suffrage. Since their main focus was on gaining suffrage only on a federal level, they did not contribute to gaining it on a state-by-state level. This is significant because once the amendment is passed through congress, three-fourths of the states have to ratify it. With the fear that women’s suffrage was being pushed back by Black men’s suffrage, Stanton cofounded the American Equal Rights Association (AERA) in 1866 with Lucy Stone and Susan B. Anthony. Stanton and Anthony also focused on gaining support from the South. While promoting against the ratification of the Fifteenth Amendment, the NWSA also accepted donations from George Francis Train, a Southern White figure that was openly racist and against the rights of Black people. Many suffragists such as Stone were outraged that Stanton and Anthony were using AERA funds for campaigning with Train. Despite the backlash, they intentionally disregarded Train’s racist commentary. The NWSA likely accepted his support as an endorsement for the Southern states. On the other hand, the AWSA worked toward state-by-state ratification which led to the three-fourths majority of states, ultimately contributing to the Nineteenth Amendment being passed. However, Stanton’s strategy of gaining support from the South proved to be unsuccessful, as the only Southern state that ratified suffrage was Tennessee (Kerr, 1995, pp. 69-72).

In addition to Stanton’s universal view of suffrage, she also believed that only educated women should have the right to vote by restricting the ability to vote with educational qualifications. If women’s right to vote had educational restrictions, then this would have excluded many working-class women, including immigrants (Dubois, 2019, pp. 221-222). Stanton likely endorsed this idea as a way to persuade men that women having the right to vote would not negatively affect society, as only educated women would vote. Later, after Stanton passed away, her daughter, Harriet Stanton Blatch denounced this ideology and recognized working-class women as equal to educated women (Dubois, 2019, pp. 221-222).

Stanton is also known for her contribution to the women’s movement through her public speeches in regard to issues that women faced during the time such as “Our Girls” and “The Solitude of Self”. “Our Girls” was a motivational lecture for young women which addressed the issue of dress reform and challenged traditional gender roles (Strange, 2002, p. 1). As for the “The Solitude of Self” speech, she delivered it three times toward the end of her career. First, she presented it to the House Committee on the Judiciary in the morning of January 18^th, 1892. Then, in the afternoon she delivered it as her farewell address to the NWSA.  Lastly, she delivered it on January 20^th, 1892 at the hearing before the Senate Committee on Woman Suffrage. In this speech, she addressed that each human is unique and responsible (Campbell, 1980, pp. 304-306). This speech is significant as she argued the natural rights of all people, including women. This was a strong argument to the House Committee on the Judiciary, as they consisted of male government members. She demonstrated that women are owed equal rights because women lacking rights is against nature.

In 1895, Stanton published The Woman’s Bible, which consisted of sections within the Old and New Testaments that referenced women as a rebuttal to the arguments. Later in 1898, she published, Bible and Church Degrade Woman, which was a reprinted version of the “The Woman’s Bible” with essays about women and religion (Stanton & Catt, 1898). She openly argued that scriptural references in the Bible needed to be redefined because she believed that many of these scriptures were used to argue against women’s rights (“Timeline”, n.d.). Stanton also attributed the source of women’s inequality to religion (Baker, 2016). Following the first publication, in 1896, the NAWSA disassociated itself from Stanton, as they feared that her controversial thoughts on religion would slow the progress of their movement toward suffrage (“Timeline”, n.d.). During Stanton’s retirement between 1881 and 1885, she co-wrote three volumes of the History of Woman Suffrage with Anthony and Matilda Joslyn Gage. In these volumes, they documented the activism and leaders within the women’s suffrage movement (“Stanton, Elizabeth Cady”, n.d.)

“I would have girls regard themselves not as adjectives but as nouns not appendages made to qualify somebody else, but independent, responsible workers in carrying forward the grand, eternal plans in the redemption of mankind.”

~ Elizabeth Cady Stanton (Strange, 2002, p. 9)

Analysis and Conclusion

Although Stanton contributed significantly to the First Wave of feminism and in particular, the women’s suffrage movement, she has been criticized for some of her philosophies and tactics setting the suffrage movement back. One issue that likely slowed the process of achieving suffrage was Stanton’s philosophy on how to achieve it. This was highly controversial as it promoted racism and likely deterred possible supporters away from the NWSA and even the suffrage movement. Although both organizations had the same end-goal of women’s suffrage, the NWSA was not fighting for voting rights for all people of the United States, rather, they used tactics necessary for White women to gain suffrage. This excluded Black people because she let Southern public figures that were openly racist such as Train support the NWSA. Stanton was not necessarily against the rights of Black people, but took this position with the NWSA because she believed it would help them move closer to suffrage by gaining support from the South. Stanton was an abolitionist and also worked with Frederick Douglass who was one the of Black leaders in the abolitionist movement. However, Stanton used racist tactics despite having friendships with Black colleagues. Yet, it appeared that Stanton’s tactics with the NWSA were unsuccessful because the NWSA did not contribute to the states endorsing suffrage for the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment as the AWSA did. These examples of Stanton’s involvement in the NWSA show that some of the work she did likely slowed the process of women gaining suffrage.

Similar to excluding Black people with her opposition of the Fifteenth Amendment, Stanton also excluded working women with her tactics. Stanton’s view on the educated vote was also quite controversial during this time, since she explicitly excluded the working-class women. Stanton likely supported the educated vote as a strategy to gain more support from men who were concerned that women voting would be harmful to the government. However, as a wealthy, educated woman, she appeared to be ignorant to the lower-class women that she excluded, which were not fortunate to be born into an affluent family like she was. Therefore, her tactics and ideology were in support for White, upper-class women not all women or even Black men.

Another issue was Stanton’s open views against religion, which likely created backlash against the women’s suffrage movement as well as the NAWSA, since she was still associated the organization when she first published The Woman’s Bible. This was a significant backlash due to the popularity of Christianity during this time, such as the Quakers. Therefore, it was a dilemma for many who wanted women’s suffrage as they did not want to go against their religious beliefs and disregard scriptures. Her public opposition against religion also likely deterred many women and men that would have possibly supported the movement, thinking that she was morally corrupt.

Regardless of her criticisms, Stanton was one of the most prominent leaders of the First Wave of feminism for many reasons. Her greatest contribution was by organizing the first Woman’s Rights Convention and co-authoring the Declaration of Sentiments. She also contributed significantly by being the first woman to point out the absence of women’s voting rights by controversially adding the grievance into the Declaration of Sentiments. Although Stanton did not live to see the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment, she contributed significantly to the women’s suffrage movement. She will always be remembered as one of the most controversial leaders in the First Wave of feminism and for initiating the women’s suffrage movement.

 

References

Baker, N. (2016). Stanton in her own time: A biographical chronicle of her life, drawn from recollections, interviews, and memoirs by family, friends, and associates. Iowa City, Iowa: University of Iowa Press.

Campbell, K. K. (1980). Stanton’s “The Solitude of Self”: A Rationale for Feminism. Quarterly Journal of Speech, 66(3), 304. https://doi.org/10.1080/00335638009383528

DuBois, E. C. (1995). Working women, class relations, and suffrage militance: Harriot Stanton Blatch and the New York woman suffrage movement, 1894-1909. In Wheeler, M. S. (Ed.). One Woman, One Vote: Rediscovering the Woman Suffrage Movement. Troutdale, OR: NewSage Press.

(1902). Elizabeth Cady Stanton Obituary. Woman’s Sphere. [Manuscript] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/rbcmiller001416/

(1815). Elizabeth Cady Stanton, -1902. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division, Washington, D.C. Retrieved from Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2018646960/

(1880). Elizabeth Cady Stanton, seated, and Susan B. Anthony, standing. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division, Washington, D.C. Retrieved from Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/97500087/

(n.d.). Elizabeth Cady Stanton. National Park Service. Retrieved November 9, 2019 from https://www.nps.gov/wori/learn/historyculture/elizabeth-cady-stanton.htm

Kerr, A. M. (1995). White women’ rights, black men’s wrongs, free love, blackmail, and the formulation of the American Suffrage Association. In Wheeler, M. S. (Ed.). One Woman, One Vote: Rediscovering the Woman Suffrage Movement. Troutdale, OR: NewSage Press.

Rossi, A. S. (1995). A feminist friendship: Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony. In Wheeler, M. S. (Ed.). One Woman, One Vote: Rediscovering the Woman Suffrage Movement. Troutdale, OR: NewSage Press.

Stanton, E. C. & Catt, C. C. (1898) Bible and Church Degrade Woman. Chicago, IL: H.L. Green. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/93838346/

(n.d.). Stanton, Elizabeth Cady. Retrieved November 13, 2019 from VCU Libraries, https://socialwelfare.library.vcu.edu/woman-suffrage/stanton-elizabeth-cady/

Strange, L. S. (2002). Dress reform and the feminine ideal: Elizabeth Cady Stanton and the “coming girl”. Southern Journal of Communication, 68(1), 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1080/10417940209373247

(n.d.). Timeline. Retrieved November 9, 2019 from Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/collections/elizabeth-cady-stanton-papers/articles-and-essays/timeline/

Wagner, S. R. (Ed.). (2019). The Women’s Suffrage Movement. London, England: Penguin Books.