Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions,

by,Elizabeth Cady Stanton

pg. 878 – Norton Reader

“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, in Seneca Falls, New York, now known as the Seneca Falls Convention. The principal author of the Declaration of Rights and Sentiments was Elizabeth Cady Stanton, who based it on the form of the United States Declaration of Independence. 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 basis for attaining the civil, social, political, and religious rights of women. Modeled on the United States Declaration of Independence, Stanton's declaration proclaimed that men and women are created equal. She proposeda then-controversial resolution demanding voting rights for women. The final resolutions, including female suffrage, were passed, in no small measure, because of the support of Frederick Douglass, who attended and informally spoke at the convention.

At a time when traditional roles were still very much in place, the Declaration caused much controversy. Many people respected the courage and abilities behind the drafting of the document, but were unwilling to abandon conventional mindsets. An article in the Oneida Whig published soon after the convention described the document as "the most shocking and unnatural event ever recorded in the history of womanity." Many newspapers insisted that the Declaration was drafted at the expense of women's more appropriate duties. At a time when temperance and female property rights were major issues, even many supporters of women's rights believed the Declaration's endorsement of women's suffrage would hinder the nascent women's rights movement, causing it to lose much needed public support.

Unlike many women of her era, Stanton was formally educated. She attended Johnstown Academy, where she studied Latin, Greek, mathematics, religion, science, French, and writing until the age of 16. At the Academy, she enjoyed being in co-educational classes where she could compete intellectually and academically with boys her age and older. She did this very successfully, winning several academic awards and honors, including the award for Greek language. As a young woman, Elizabeth Cady met Henry Brewster Stanton through her early involvement in the temperance and the abolition movements. Stanton was a journalist, an antislavery orator, and, after his marriage to Elizabeth Cady, an attorney. Despite Daniel Cady's reservations, the couple was married in 1840, with Elizabeth Cady requesting of the minister that the phrase "promise to obey" be removed from the wedding vows.” (Wikipedia)

Practice analyzing this text using SOAPS technique

S / Subject- General topic, content, and ideas
contained in the text; be able to state the
subject in a short phrase.
O / Occasion - Time &and place of a piece; it is
important to under- stand the context that
encouraged the writing to happen
A / Audience - Group of readers to whom the piece is directed;
it may be one person, a small group, or a large group; it may be
a certain person or a certain people; an understanding of the
characteristics of the audience leads to a higher level of
understanding.
P / Purpose - Reason behind the text; without a grasp
of purpose, it is impossible to examine the argument
or logic of the piece.
S / Speaker -Voice that tells the story; the author may be
the speaker, or non-fiction article is carefully planned and structured, and it is within that plan and structure that
meaning is discovered

Form from Dr. Jon Kaiser, AP Consultant