Sunday, November 13, 2011

LAD #11- The Seneca Falls Convention

The Seneca Falls convention was the first convention of its kind; it was the first large convention to advocate for the rights and equality of women. It supported the expansion of women's rights and added to the feminist movement that was beginning to sweep the nation. The first portion of the document is the preamble to the United States Declaration of Independence, but it had been rewritten to write "Men and women" rather than just "men." This new document was known as the Declaration of Sentiments. It states women's anger at men because of their lack of power in government and their inability to vote and elect government officials. The declaration also states that men were basically stealing from women and not giving them the right to own property or earn fair wages. Men at this time had all power over all property. If a couple ever got divorced, the man would get all the money and the children; women believed that this was preventing then from ever being happy. Men were also given better jobs and church positions than women. The women at the convention proposed the declaration as a set of resolutions to solve these issues; the wanted equal rights and equal wages and equal liberty.

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