The US Civil War is known today as an event that changed the lives of the general population greatly. Still, many people do not pay enough attention to those progressive alterations that happened before it. There were two closely related to each other movements that helped to form our present. The abolition movement, which dealt with the attempt to stop slavery, and the women’s rights movement, which was meant to allow females to enter the political life of the country.
Initially, all women were not allowed to hold any positions that would have at least something to do with decision-making so that they could not lead others and affect the situation, in which the general public existed. Still, with the beginning of the abolition movement, many of them considered that it could be an opportunity for them to implement changes in society. Thus, they decided to take part in it.
A great example, which shows the way the women’s rights movement emerged out of the abolition movement, can be described when speaking about women who were present at the Agents’ Convention of the American Anti-Slavery Society. In 1836, two females decided to streamline the anti-slavery process, participated in the convention, and then started to create their own abolition groups. In order to attract more people and become more influential, they held the Anti-Slavery Convention of American Women in the next year.
As a result, 200 females gathered in New York City. Still, at that time they only demanded the immediate abolition of slavery. The attention was paid to the adverse conditions of slavery and violation of “Christian principals and basic human right to equality” (Boundless par. 3). With the emphasis that females were treated unfairly, just like slaves, the activists continued fighting for their rights. However, it turned out that in order to implement such changes, women need to become more influential.
Thus, those who participated in these movements also started to speak about equal rights for both genders, which included such topics as education, employment, and politics. In this framework, women’s suffrage was also underlined. The government considered that females should not interfere in the process and tried to silence them. However, it would not happen this way. Such change led to the beginning of the independent coexistence of women’s rights and abolition movements.
The first convention that affected this situation critically was the 1848 Seneca Falls. It organized by a group of females who gathered under the leadership of Lucretia Mott (Uncle Tom’s Cabin & American Culture par.1). Soon they became known as Quaker women, who are treated as prominent representatives of the movement today. During this event, 300 individuals of both genders gathered to advocate women’s equality, including suffrage, which was a great step forward. As a consequence of this gathering, “Declaration of Principles” was published.
Actually, it was the Declaration of Independence revised to meet the purposes of the women’s rights movement. It framed a range of demands the females had. It was meant to urge “the fair and equal treatment of women as United States citizens, including the resolution that it is the duty of the women of this country to secure to themselves their sacred right to the elective franchise” (Thorpe par. 2). Even though women’s suffrage was not achieved at that time, the next several generations of activists were greatly inspired to fight further and stand their ground.
Prior to passage of the Nineteenth Amendment, the women’s rights movement had to deal with several complications. Internal ideological and tactical struggles prevented it from streamlining and reaching positive consequences as soon as possible (Women in Congress par. 1). Women had different views on the way they saw themselves free. Some were willing to focus on individualistic characteristics and make sure that being equal with men they would have an opportunity to control their decision-making activities. Women were willing to be paid just as men and to receive the same employment opportunities.
Others were more aggressive and believed that females are the ones to have political power. Some also believed that their roles in the society were determined by males that is why they needed to be reconsidered so that women could not only take care of the children but also support the men when receiving their assistance. In this way, ones wanted just to adapt the existing system and others stated that the whole society is to be reconstructed (The Gale Group Inc. par. 25).
Women also had different tactics, to which they referred when trying to bring a change. Some had more militant ideas than others. They were gathering to start marches and inform the rest of the population and obtain more support. The rest, at the same time, would focus on less invasive methods, such as attending conventions (Women’s Suffrage Movement par. 2).
Thus, it cannot be denied that the women’s suffrage movement appeared on the basis of the abolitionist movement that started before that emphasized people’s equality. Utilizing their experience obtained while advocating for the rights of slaves, women received an opportunity to attract attention to themselves and their role in the society. If there was no abolition movement, females would not be likely to achieve success as they did regardless of the fact that this process took several decades.
Works Cited
Boundless. Abolitionism and the Women’s Rights Movement. 2016.
The Gale Group Inc. Women’s Rights Movement. 2003.
Thorpe, Aaron. What Was the Connection Between Abolition and the Women’s Suffrage Movement? 2016.
Uncle Tom’s Cabin & American Culture. The Woman’s Rights Movement. 2016.
Women in Congress. The Women’s Rights Movement, 1848–1920. 2016.
Women’s Suffrage Movement. Tactics / Strategies. 2016.