Throughout U.S. history, women have been subject to various types of oppression which particularly affected their human and civil rights and freedoms. While the 20th century is the key milestone in the women’s struggle for equal rights, the 19th century also deserves to be explored from the perspective of females’ social status. Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Sarah Moore Grimke, and Fanny Fern are notable personalities who extensively wrote about women’s place in society in the 19th century.
“The declaration of sentiments” was one of the most significant manifestos in the history of American feminism since it voiced grievances of women who demanded equal constitutional rights. Elizabeth Cady Stanton. The author of the manifesto openly stated that women were oppressed by the patriarchal society and discriminated against by the government (Stanton, 1848). In order to prove her point of view, Stanton relied on several facts which described the status of 19th-century women in America. Specifically, Stanton noted that women did not have the right to vote and had not had any representation in the government. She also claimed that women did not have legal equality since they did not possess any property rights in marriage and suffered from male privilege promoted by the divorce law. Essentially, the document written by Stanton demonstrated to the public and the government that women’s status in society was not equal to that of men.
Another essential writing of the period was “The condition of women in the United States.” The author of the article, Sarah Moore Grimke, was an outspoken supporter of women’s rights and actively defended her views publicly. The writing of Grimke shows that in the 19th century, many women were not given an appropriate education comparable to that received by men. As a result, women did not have any opportunities in their lives to become more independent. Additionally, Grimke described the phenomenon of female slaves in the southern parts of the country. It was disturbing for her to learn that many masters sexually abused their female slaves and then sold their own children, primarily daughters, to other slave owners (Grimke, 2020). Sarah Moore Grimke’s writing highlights the struggle of African American women in the 19th century and shows that their social status was even worse than white females’ since they were considered property.
Finally, while Fanny Fern mostly wrote humorous articles about the relationship between men and women, her writing also indicates certain characteristics of females’ status in American society. For instance, in the article “Hints to young wives,” Fern notes that women who follow all of the current fashion trends are viewed by men as objects and toys intended for pleasure (Fern, 2020). Such a statement once again highlights the dynamics of male-female relationships in the 19th century. Although Fern does not openly write about the lack of women’s rights, she stresses the gender inequality which provides men with various privileges.
In the 19th century, the American government and society limited the rights and freedoms of women, which many female authors of the period described in their writing. For instance, Elizabeth Cady Stanton wrote a manifesto where she listed the facts about women’s status in society and noted how they were oppressed, including due to the lack of voting rights. Sarah Moore Grimke described the treatment of female slaves in the country and showed how they were considered property. Fanny Fern wrote about the unequal relationship between men and women, which was the result of systematic oppression in society.
References
Fern, F. (2020). Hints to young wives. In J., Kurtz (ed.). American literature I: An anthology of texts from early America through the civil war (pp. 943–944). VIVA.
Grimke, S. (2020). The condition of women in the United States. In J., Kurtz (ed.). American literature I: An anthology of texts from early America through the civil war (pp. 911–915). VIVA.
Stanton, E. (1848). The declaration of sentiments by the Seneca Falls conference.