Being a woman in the 1800s was limiting, and the
highest aspiration that was generally seen as acceptable was to become a good
homemaker. Women were expected to dwell mostly within the “private sphere” of
society, meaning the home, and left the “public sphere”, the outside, violent
world full of temptation, to the men. Society created certain standards that
made up the ideal woman, and the females of the time were ridiculed and shunned
if they did not follow them. According to the article, “Notes on the Cult of
Domesticity and True Womanhood” by Catherine J. Lavender, there were four main
ideals, piety, purity, submissiveness, and domesticity. If a woman did not
comply with these standards she was shunned.
The Seneca Falls
Women’s Rights Convention was a gathering of women from all over the country in
Seneca Falls, New York. Their purpose was to discuss how they could make life
better for women, and have more representation. At this conference the
Declaration of Rights and Sentiments was created. This document listed the
types of discrimination that women were faced with, and a list of possible
resolutions to better the situation. In this document the Constitution of the
United States is often used as evidence and support for their cause. The
authors use the famous passage from the constitution, “All men (and women) are
created equal; that they are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable
rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” This
quote strongly suggests that everyone deserves rights, and that male or female
you are entitled to certain things.
Although, this
conference was a step in the right direction for women’s rights, not everyone
was represented. White rich women had all of the power at the conference and
ultimately had control over what was said. The poor women were significantly
less represented, and so resolutions did not always keep them in mind. Yet,
many good things did come from it such as the recognition that women are indeed
equal in value to men. Before this conference women were viewed as lower then
men and inferior, but this conference started to change peoples minds. Even if
it was just a small shift in some people, more and more people began to realize
the truth about women and to accept it.
