User:Dmarx314/Declaration of Sentiments

The Declaration of Sentiments, also known as the Declaration of Rights and Sentiments, is a document signed in 1848 by 68 women and 32 men—100 out of some 300 attendees at the first women's rights convention to be organized by women. Held in Seneca Falls, New York, the convention is now known as the Seneca Falls Convention. It is considered the first convention held for civil and political rights of women. The Declaration of Sentiments states the beliefs and ideas towards women's rights of all those in attendance. The document lists women's grievances and demands, and urges women to fight for their constitutional rights. It's main goal was for women to gain equal treatment under the law, in education, and employment. The convention and The Declaration of Sentiments were the foundation of the ensuing women rights movement that is still happening today. The principal author of the Declaration was Elizabeth Cady Stanton, who modeled it upon the United States Declaration of Independence. She was a key organizer of the convention along with Lucretia Coffin Mott, Martha Coffin Wright, Mary M'Clintock, and Jane Hunt, all of whom were active in the abolitionist movement as well.

According to the North Star, published by Frederick Douglass, whose attendance at the convention and support of the Declaration helped pass the resolutions put forward, the document was the "grand movement for attaining the civil, social, political, and religious rights of women." Frederick Douglass was asked to give a speech at the convention in order to help rally support for the 11 resolutions to pass. He agreed, and the vote just barely passed largely thanks to Douglass' speech and presence. These added resolutions were essential to the declaration. They demanded women be seen as equal to men under the law. The ninth, and most controversial, declared that women be given the right to vote.

The Impact
After the Seneca Falls Convention, many large newspapers like the New York Times and began to cover the Declaration of Sentiments and the women involved in the convention. Overall opinions on their grievances were split. Many still did not want to given women the right to vote. However, people began to recognize that if they believe in the constitution, they must grant women equal rights as well. Regardless of the immediate backlash or support of the Declaration of Sentiments, it sparked the conversation of women's rights on a national scale and brought to light many injustices against women that began to change.