In the 1800s, women had a very different role in society than they do today. They were supposed to act in a very particular way, and the way that women were expected to act was summarized into four characteristics. The first was piety. Women were expected to be very religious and their actions were supposed to imitate that of Eve's, in order to steer the world from sin. A second characteristic of women in the 1800s was sexual purity. If a woman was to lose her virginity to a man other than her husband, she was seen as a lesser being that was not worthy of the title "woman". Virginity was also called a woman's "greatest treasure" that only a husband could obtain. Along from being seen as a lesser being, the woman that gave away her treasure was exiled from society, and many would die alone in poverty.
While a woman was strictly directed to protect her "treasure", she was also taught to be submissive to men, while men were instructed to never submit to anyone. Articles of clothing that restricted her inner organs would make women weak, and they would faint often. This also contributed to women being submissive, as it was seen as evidence that she needed a protector, and that she should be able to see her lesser position in society. The final characteristic of women in the 19th century was domesticity. Women were expected to work in the home, and remain in what is referred to as the "private sphere", or the private confines of a home. Men, however, were seen as strong enough to exist in the "public sphere", which would be the 'dangerous' outside world of work. This is also referred to as the Cult of Domesticity, the idea that women belong at home doing menial housework while men are supposed to be the ones who work and earn the family's income. Unfortunately, this notion still exists today.
In order to remedy the problems of women's rights in the 1800s, a meeting called the Seneca Falls Convention was called into order. It attempted to solve the problems with gender inequality by writing the Declaration of Rights and Sentiments. In order to give the document more symbolic impact, it was structured in a very similar way to the Declaration of Independence, even including many of the exact phrases used in the Declaration. One of the ideas that was in the Declaration of Rights and Sentiments was the demand that women be able to vote, otherwise known as suffrage. It was controversially put into the Declaration of Rights and Sentiments because some of the members of the Convention still believed that women should not be able to vote, simply because of the potential backlash from the public. Women were supposed to have the same exact opinions as their husbands, and women were not allowed to vote because then this would give married couples an advantage in elections.
Unfortunately, the Seneca Falls Convention did not represent everyone. In reality, the only ones represented were upper and middle class white women. In class, we did an activity where we investigated one particular group of underrepresented women and made a list of demands similar to the Declaration of Rights and Sentiments. I was assigned mill worker girls, and some of the other groups that were not equally represented were free black women, slaves, and Native Americans. We then compiled a list of resolutions that these groups would have wanted. In short, they called for the abolition of slavery, women's suffrage, more regulated workplaces, and the notion that women be treated by the government as citizens with full rights of any other American. They somewhat reflected the progressive ideas of the Convention, however most of them were different than what was written in the Declaration of Rights and Sentiments.
Out of all the resolutions created by our class, I think that the most important one is that women be treated as full and complete citizens of the United States. This allows them to be equally represented in the courts, enables them to participate in any organization or institution, and lets them have the exact same opportunities as anyone else that is a citizen of the States. In my opinion, this has by and large been accomplished in the United States. Women unfortunately do not have as many opportunities as men in some cases, but legally, men and women are equal. While there are still strides to be made in the battle for gender equality, I believe that the majority of the resolutions of the Declaration of Rights and Sentiments have been accomplished.
