Elizabeth Cady Stanton: Women's Rights Activist
Introduction and Childhood
Elizabeth Cady Stanton was a strong and determined person. She never gave up. Stanton was a courageous and brave woman! Elizabeth was born on November 12th, 1815 in Johnstown, New York to Mr. and Mrs. Cady. Elizabeth had 4 siblings, out of which only one was a boy. Elizabeth's father was a judge. When Elizabeth was young, about 9-11 years, old her brother Eleazar, who was in college, passed away. Her family was heart broken. Elizabeth then came up with a plan to educate her self and one day follow in her father's footsteps. However, things did not turn out exactly as she planned! Education Elizabeth went to school and studied law under her father along with Henery and Edward Bayard and some other students that studied law under her father. Henery and Edward Bayard had come to live with Elizabeth and her family after Eleazar's death. While they were there, the girls lives were filled with a blur of horseback riding, chess games, checkers, picnics, and lessons. Before long Tryphena, the oldest sister, got married with Edward Bayard. Even though she was the best in her class she couldn't go to college because women weren't allowed to. Although Elizabeth didn't give up, she started to do more lady like things. She went to parties, attended balls, and made pudding. Inspiration One day Elizabeth was sitting in her father, Judge Cady's, office when a woman named Flora Campbell came to her father's office. She said that her husband had passed away and her son only welcomed her as a guest and almost kicked her out of the house that she had made with her money. Judge Cady said that when she gets married and says "I do'' all of her belongings are now her husband's and if in his will it says that his son will get everything after he passes away then his son can do anything he wants. This made Elizabeth angry and she then was inspired to fight for women's rights. Love Elizabeth kept learning and eventually got into Troy Female Seminary. It was the closest she could get to a college. This school wasn't like a finishing school for women it actually offered courses in botany, logic, geometry, french, chemistry, piano, and history. After school Elizabeth started to do more lady like things like going to parties and balls, and making pudding. Elizabeth also searched for a man to get married with. One day when she received her first serious proposal she couldn't tell anyone because it was her sister's husband. Even though she loved him too she didn't want to break her sister's heart, so she put as much distance between him and her and moved to Peterboro, New York. She would often go to the home of Gerrit Smith and would entertain his guests. Elizabeth fell in love with one of his guests, Henry Brewster Stanton. He was in the area to lecture on slavery. He would often fit in his schedule time to take long walks and horseback rides with her. Soon he propsed to her and she accepted it. Unfortunately, the engagement broke because her family was against it. Henry did not give up on her and kept after her with more energy than before. He sent regular letters to her and in one it said he would be traveling to the World Anti-Slavery Convention in London that June. Elizabeth couldn't bear to be separated that long from him or miss the chance to go to the convention, so instead she sent a letter back insisting that they marry before Henry left for London. They kept thier plans a secret. The two met and married in Johnstown on May 1, 1840. At the wedding, Elizabeth made the minister leave out the word obey from the vows. Fighting for Women's Rights Eleven days after the marriage the couple left for London. At the convention, Elizabeth met with a mature woman who spoke against slavery even in front of men, named Lucretia Mott. Elizabeth and Lucretia had many differences but they became great friends. The convention, it turned out, was not meant to be a gathering of all delegates from Anti-Slavery organizations, but only a gathering of all MALE delegates. In result, the women were seated to the side, in a small, curtained off area. Elizabeth and the other women listened to the men fight for the women so they could sit with them and some did not support the women. Elizabeth did not understand that they had come to free slaves but did not support women and she wasn't alone. Each night after dinner, the women made sure the men heard what they had to say. One day after another convention Elizabeth and Lucretia decided to hold a convention of their own that debated whether women should have equal rights or not. It took awhile to start the convention. Elizabeth got busy with babies and where they would live and so the couple moved to the Cady's house where Henry studied law under Judge Cady. Henry still had interest in abolition and other things the judge opposed to. However, Elizabeth stayed in touch with the women and she invited them to her house as guests and talked more about Women's Rights. Soon Elizabeth moved from Boston to Seneca Falls, New York. Soon Lucretia came their as a guest to a Quaker family. The wife of the house often invited Elizabeth there and some other women and they would talk more about women's rights. They then decided to finally hold a convention. In result, one night they wrote a notice to be placed in the next issue of the Seneca Country Courier about a Women's Rights Convention to be held in the Wesleyan Chapel, at Seneca Falls, N.Y. The day came fast and many women were there but many men too! It was amazing! They got their points out to the world and many people started to support them. Soon things got better and they kept with their work. Unfortunately, Elizabeth died on October 26,1902. She wasn't able to see women get their rights, but because of her, we have these rights. Tribute I have decided to make a tribute for her. It will be a hill. The hill will be made of green marble. There will be stairs made of wood and painted silver going up to the hill so you can reach the top. There will be a statue of Elizabeth Cady Stanton on the top and it will be made of pure gold. Covering the rest of the hill and going down, will be signs that have her challenges on it. It will be made of steel, the sign will be painted white and the letters on the sign black. It will be 18 feet high and 75 feet wide. It will be called the Elizabeth Cady Stanton hilI thought. It would really fit her because she went through a lot of struggles and her life had so many problems. Yet she accomplished a huge goal, and I think people should know that! |
Work Cited:
http://www.biography.com
https://www.mackinvia.com/a
http://www.biography.com
https://www.mackinvia.com/a