Women rights movements in the United States first emerged in the 1830s, a move that was widely attributed to the Revolution and the second great awakening.  These events were seen as a major step towards women empowerment and formed the platform for women to fight for their rightful position in the society. As more and more women got access to basic education, and with help of a few sympathetic men, American women started to formulate a critique to women oppression in America (Judith, 2006). They had a different view of things and opposed the traditional authoritative husbands where women were culturally viewed as house wives whose only role was fulfilling the domestic chores.  A critical mass of these rebellious women first emerged among those who had already enlisted in the radical struggle to end slavery. When abolitionists Sarah and Angelina Grimke faced efforts to silence them because they were women, they saw parallels between their own situation and that of the slaves. They felt that time had come when American woman had to be freed from these cultural oppressive behaviors.

At this juncture, women had started discovering that they were created by God as equal moral being and hence had equal rights as those enjoyed by men. This was an argument propagated by Grimkes who did not see any reason why women would not be treated like men.  This ideology would later broaden to encompass secular arguments claiming women’s part in political order ostensibly based on individual rights and consent of the governed.  Nevertheless, the Seneca Falls of 1848 is seen as the mother of the woman’s right convention. It was the first ever woman’s right convention held on the American soil and serves as a great signal of women’s determination to claim their rightful place in the society (Lisa, 2014). It is alleged that the convention had at least 200 women in attendance. It was organized by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott who were strong abolitionists who previously met at the 1840 world anti-slavery convention in London. They were of the view that woman oppression was equivalent to slavery. During the convention, Stanton read the “Declaration of Sentiments and Grievances,” which aired women’s grievances that extended beyond politics into social and family values. The leading activists in the Convention, that included; Lucretia Mott, Lucy Stone, Susan B. Anthony, and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, were all trained in the school of antislavery and were determined to ensure that women’s rights were well catered for.

Although the Seneca Falls may be considered as a humble as it may looks, it is imperative to point out that it had significant contribution to the woman’s rights enjoyed by American woman today. The “Declaration of Sentiments and Grievances,” laid out the goals and objectives that woman needed to accomplish to get their rightful position in politics, social and family life. It is during this convention that American women outlined all their grievances and injustices faced in the United States and it is also during the convention that it was agreed that women must organize themselves and petition for their rights (Judith, 2006).  It is also important to point out that the significance of the Seneca convention gained more weight by having a god number of men who supported the women’s quest for equal treatment. The presence of Frederick Douglass, a famous African American abolitionist, was a significant player in achieving the rightful place for American woman.

It should be noted that the convention had at least 300 women who were supported by over thirty men in the quest for equal treatment between men and women.  During the convention, it was agreed that both men and women are equal in the eyes of the creator and hence they were entitled to the same rights amongst them; right to life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness (Lisa, 2014). It was agreed that women should not relent on their quest for this freedom and should put effort similar to one used by the anti-slavery movements.

The Convention’s agenda and its “Declaration of Sentiments and Grievances,” is said to have some resemblance to the US Declaration of Independence (The Seneca Falls Declaration of Rights and Sentiments, 1881).  The Declaration for independence had an agenda of ensuring that every American citizen had a chance to express their views by having a chance to vote.  Also in this convention, the women wanted to ensure that their voting rights are guaranteed just like it was the case with their male counterparts.  The convention did not specifically demand the voting rights but also demanded equality in all aspects of life including; political, social, religion, education, family and morals just to mention a few (Lisa, 2014).  Women felt that for a long time, they had been disfranchised of these essential rights that men had enjoyed for a long time.

Although Seneca Fall convection was faced with public ridicule and contempt, it is imperative to note that most of the rights enjoyed by American woman today trace their origin to the convention. For instance, the Declaration of sentiments and Grievances was adopted and signed by the assembly on the same day.  Additionally, the convention also unanimously passed 11 resolutions that called for specific equal rights for the American woman. The twelfth resolution, that declared “it is the duty of the women of this country to secure to themselves their sacred right to the elective franchise,” was the only contentious issue. Nevertheless, after a lengthy debate, it was agreed that female enfranchisement was of significance importance and consequently, the resolution was passed.  It is from the convention that it was agreed on the woman’s right to vote like the fellow men did.

Two weeks after the Seneca Falls convection, there was even a larger meeting in the Rochester, New York, where the women’s rights issue was still the main areas of concern.  These conventions were followed by annual national women’s rights conventions that later brought about the growth of women’s suffrage movement. Other activists and women also became part of this brigade of ensuring that women enjoyed similar rights to those enjoyed by men. It is alleged that other people such as Sojourner Truth, Martha Wright, Susan B. Anthony, Matilda   Josylyn Gage, Frances E. W. Harper and others became interested in the fight for women’s rights after the success of Seneca falls convention.  The use of Declaration of Independence became the pillar for the demand of equal rights for both women and men in the American society.

The Seneca Falls convection is an import ant step towards the women’s rights crusade. Fr instance, before the convention, the American woman had no voice in making laws; she was deprived of her citizenship rights, no rights to own property, no access to education, and had no p ace in leadership positions in the social and political settings.  However, this is not the case today. Women in the United States can enjoy life just like men. It is important to note that women now enjoy civil rights such as the right to vote; they can hold office, have equal access o education and are economically and politically equal to their male counterparts (Gerda, 2009).  Women have enjoyed various rights that they previously never experienced before the Seneca Falls convention.  Serious legislations and Acts of parliament that safeguards women’s interests have been passed as a result of the pressure resulting from the Convention.

Seneca Falls convention is the first women’s rights convention organized by women rights movements in the United States. Having no other such conventions before, it is then prudent to say that the Seneca Falls Declaration of Sentiments tied women’s rights to the country’s natural-rights tradition. It served as a wakeup call amongst the Americans to ensure that the American women enjoyed their rightful democratic space (Judith, 2006). There was a widespread support of women’s rights emerging from the efforts of the Seneca Falls Convention. Although, some of the historians have attributed the success in women’s rights from abolitionism, much of the success can be attributed to the convention since it served as the foundation for women to agitate for their rights. It is only that some abolitionism ideas were brought into the women’s rights movements to make their argument stronger. The convention was not the first time that women’s rights advocates legitimated their demands by an appeal to the Declaration of Independence. Legal reformers, too, using the Declaration of Independence as a model for women’s rights, paved the road for the formal women’s rights movement that emerged from the Seneca Falls convention (Gerda, 2009). Essential rights such as married women’s property rights and fundamental rights to hold office and right to vote have been achieved following the declarations at the Seneca Falls convention.

In conclusion, the Seneca Falls convention may not be having the necessary recognition but its contribution to the woman rights movements is worth recognition. The Seneca Falls never produced revolutions, usurpation of power, or wars (Lisa, 2014). Yet it led to a transformation of consciousness and a movement of empowerment on behalf of half the human race, which hardly has its equal in human history.

References

Wellman, Judith. “The Seneca Falls Convention: Setting the National Stage for Women’s

Suffrage.” History Now 7 (Spring 2006): n. pag. The Gilder Lehrman Institute of

American History. Web. 28 Mar. 2014. <http://www.gilderlehrman.org/historynow/

2007-06/age-exploration 

Lerner, Gerda. “The Meaning of Seneca Falls.” Living with History/Making Social Change.

Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press. 2009. Web.

http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.5149/9780807887868_lerner.8V

Tetrault, Lisa. “Prologue: Getting Acquainted with History.” The Myth of Seneca Falls:

Memory and the Women’s Suffrage Movement, 1848-1898. University of North

Carolina Press. Ebook 2014

Text of “The Seneca Falls Declaration of Rights and Sentiments.” from History of Women

Suffrage Vol. 1, ed. Elizabeth Cady Stanton et al. New York: Fowler and Wells, 1881.

Timeline of Legal History of Women in the United States. National Women’s History

Project. Web. http://www.nwhp.org/resources/womens-rights movement/detailedtimeline/

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