Biography Brief: Elizabeth Cady Stanton

This is a short biography of the Women's Suffragist Elizabeth Cady Stanton.

Transcript:

Elizabeth Cady Stanton (1815-1902) was a tireless, good-humored reformer who battled to increase the role women played in American society. What were some of her major accomplishments?

Born in Johnstown, NY, Elizabeth often heard her father say that he “wished she had been born a boy”. Elizabeth used this as motivation and excelled at the Troy Female Seminary School. She became an activist after being exposed to the movement by her cousin Gerrit Smith.

She took a more active role after her marriage in 1840, all while mothering seven children. To emphasize her independence, Elizabeth had the vow “promise to obey” deleted from the ceremony. During their honeymoon, Stanton was refused entry into an anti-slavery convention. However, she did meet Lucretia Mott, and a promise was made between them to hold a women’s convention.

The Seneca Falls Convention, organized by Mott and Stanton, took place in July 1848. During the convention, Stanton issued her Declaration of Sentiments, which demanded that women have all the rights and privileges belonging to them as citizens. This convention initiated the Women’s Rights Movement in the United States. In 1851, Stanton joined forces with Susan B. Anthony, forming a team that would lead the movement for almost half a century.

At the outbreak of the Civil War, Stanton focused her attention on the abolishment of slavery. At the war’s conclusion, she charged full steam ahead with the fight for women. In 1869, she, along with Anthony, founded the National Woman Suffrage Association. Stanton served as its president until 1890. During this time she edited the feminist journal Revolution and helped in the process of overturning discriminatory state laws.

In 1876, she helped write the Declaration of Rights of the Women which was presented by Anthony at the centennial celebration in Philadelphia. By 1890, the NWSA merged with another group to broaden their influence and the National American Woman Suffrage Association was formed. Stanton would serve two years as its president.

Towards the end of her life, Stanton continued her efforts. With her daughter’s help, she published The Woman’s Bible. This was a Bible translated by Stanton, which challenged women’s traditional role in society. Published in two volumes, it brought protests from religious leaders+women within the suffrage movement.

Stanton died on Oct 26, 1902, never truly seeing the results of her work. Stanton was one of the first who was both willing and able to speak out for women in the U.S. She was the creator and author of the movement’s most important documents and the voice for thousands, maybe even millions of women.