Comparing The Abolitionist Movement And The Women's Rights Movement

Society for the Reformation of Juvenile Delinquents in the City of New York in 1829, stated that crime was a reform during this period, brutal and harsh punishments were reduced. Dorothea Dix had a asylum Movement which began in the 1840’s that gave people with mental problems more confront by getting treated better. Furthermore, Dix helped all the mental ill move from prison to Asylum where they could get help since she created these facilities specifically for the mentally ill.(Doc A). Engraving by Patrick Reason, 1835 wrote “Am I not a women and a Sister” meaning that slavery was occurring and the people who were slaves wanted equality to live equal. Moreover Reason was drawing this to show how slavery was treated individuals.William Lloyd Garrison was an abolitionist who wrote “The Liberator” which called an immediate emancipation of slaves and equal rights.(Doc C). Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Seneca Falls Declaration in 1848 felt that her powerful idea of expanding democracy not only for men but to expand rights for women as well. During this period of time, their was a women’s movement in which women are 2nd class citizens and don’t have the right to vote, cannot own property. Women's right movement is led by Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucretia Mott, and Susan B. Anthony. Later they have a Declaration of Sentiments were all men and women are created equal. In helped Amelia Bloomer creates less restrictive female fashions for the women.(Doc

During the 19th century, the dawn of social reform was unearthed. The Abolitionist Movement and the Women’s Suffrage Movement joined forces to advocate for social justice. Generally speaking, they sought freedom, but as you look closer into these movements you see where these movements parallel and where they diverge. With the potential promise of a more inclusive America, accepting people for who they are and not because of their gender or color, these groups worked together. While the Women’s Suffrage Movement focused on the pending promise of individual sovereignty, the abolitionist movement sought to end the precedent of buying and treating people as property and as a tangible object that can be replaced. Both movements were after the larger goal of eliminating discrimination and segregation by shredding the weight of oppression.

Black and white abolitionists shared common assumptions about the evil of slavery, the "virtue of moral reform", and the certainty of human progress"(1). Schor, Garnet,1877, & Lanngston, 1989). This shared understanding provided "the basic for the interracial solidarity" and cooperation so vital in the crusade against slavery"(2). (Schor and Garnet, 1877). But blacks also brought a distinct perspective to the antislavery movement. Their abolitionism was shaped profoundly by their personal experience and racial oppression. Unlike most white abolitionists, they

(Hannam 296) During the Anti-Slavery Movement, she had valuable experience in public speaking and running poilitical organizations through her work in the abolishionist movement. (298 ) in the process women were generally discouraged from taking active part in public life and expected to join women only groups in support of male organizations (ibid) While Elizabeth Cady Stanton is best known for her long contribution to the woman suffrage struggle, without her struggles these issues wouldnt have been effective in winning property rights for married women, equal guardianship of children, and liberalized divorce laws. These reforms made it possible for women to leave marriages that were abusive of the wife, the children, and the economic health of the family.

Women did not have a voice at all nor were they able to speak on important government matters. They were restricted solely to their activities within the domestic sphere, expected to be good house wives, mothers, and care only for the home and children. Standing up firmly for women, Angelia and Sarah Grimke held distinct positions in the antislavery movement because they were the daughters of a Southern Slaveowner. The ideals about women rights began with these two women, but it did not stop with them. Despite the debate about the place of women in the abolitionist movement, abolitionism did provide women with some sympathetic male allies like Fredrick Douglass, who took them serious and publicized their causes.

With Seneca Falls, 1848, the movement began in earnest. Early suffragists often had ties to the abolitionist movement. (Lecture 18) With the Civil War era, suffragists split over voting rights for black men. There was a need for regrouping and rethinking in the face of a reconstructed nation because there was a push for black men to get the right to vote. There were Women’s Rights conventions every year up until the Civil War, and in 1851, a resolution that “resolved, the proper sphere, for all human beings is the largest and highest for which they are able to obtain”. (Lecture 24) This captures the true essence of both the Women’s Suffrage Movement and the Abolitionist Movement. Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony were Abolitionists and a majority of suffragettes were as well as well as involvement with the temperance movement. (Ibid) The question was raised, should women keep advocating for women’s rights or do they need to support the war? This resulted in the pause between 1861-1865 when there was not a women’s convention for the first time. Women were deeply involved with the Union cause and were vital to upholding society and keeping stores in business by serving as “deputy husbands”. (Ibid) Women also had a direct role serving in the war, some served as nurses in addition to some fighting for the cause. Sarah Edmunds Seelye was one of the few who fought under a man’s name, she served under Franklin Thompson for the 2nd Michigan Infantry until she deserted due to

The civil rights movement influenced the women’s liberation movement in four key ways. First, it provided women with a model for success on how a successful movement should organize itself. Second, the civil rights movement broadened the concept of leadership to include women. Third, by fighting for equality, the civil rights movement changed the culture of advocacy and made social justice a legitimate cause. Finally, by eventually excluding women, the civil rights movement spurred women to organize their own movement. Without the civil rights movement, the women’s movement likely would never taken off on its own.

Throughout America's history, there have been numerous social and political movements that have had a profound and lasting impact on American culture. Movements such as the Civil Rights Movement and the Women's Suffrage Movement have influenced and shaped American ideals and beliefs. These movements were typically driven by a cause. From the 1890s to the 1920s, a period of social and political reform flourished in America. This was driven by the desire to eliminate corruption in the government. People wanted to have a positive impact on society and they wanted to speak up for what they believed in. This era was a pivotal turning point in the history of the United States. This era was known as the Progressive Era.

One of the most important social and political reform movement in United States history was the antislavery movement. This movement and the beliefs that were held by it started many

First, let’s talk about what caused the women’s rights movement and how it not only paved the way for the abolitionist movement but, how powerful the campaigns were when combined. In the nineteenth century, the women’s main role was to be a house wife. Women were often stuck at home doing chores and taking care of the children. They were not allowed to vote, hold a title in public office, work, own property, or even get an education (Women 's Rights. (n.d.), 2016). The women of the nineteenth century wanted to change those rules so they fought for equality. There were many women who were brave enough to stand up for their rights and publicly speak about their thoughts and civil liberties towards equality between men and women. In

(Goldfield, 338) Since the cult of domesticity was making women inferior to men, women decided to do as the slaves did and fight for their own freedom. The women’s rights movement began in the mid-1800s. Female and male abolitionist found it necessary that women should be able to have the same rights as men. Just because biologically they are different, it does not mean they do not deserve the same rights. Women were denied the right to vote, property and a right to an education or job. (Goldfield, 338) At first the women’s movement was slow. Many women were afraid to speak out in fear of being shunned by their community. This was a brand new scary task that Women for the first time were going to deal with. A women speaking out against the norms of society was seen as a terrible thing to do. When you have many women speaking out for the same thing a change must be done. When the first national convention for women’s rights was called in Seneca Falls, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott were able to successfully use the Declaration of Independence as a model for their own Declaration of Sentiments. (Goldfield, 339) In their Declaration they branded that “male patriarchy as the source of women’s oppression” (Goldfield, 339) Stanton and Mott called for full women’s rights and to become independent citizens. Although the fight for women’s rights was always an important issue, most abolitionists deemed it less important

In a few cases, however, women began to advance towards equality with men. For example, around the early 1850's, elementary teaching increasingly became a feminine affair. Prior to the Civil War, Kentucky took partial steps to allow women suffrage. In this state, widowed mothers were allowed a limited vote in school elections. As early as the 1840's, modern women's colleges began to replace the older, "female academies" (Donald & Randall 20). For the most part, however, attempts at female advances-which were made in hopes of achieving equal footing with men-were unacceptable. At the World Anti-Slavery Conference in 1840, for example, women were only allowed to listen and observe behind a screen of the gallery in which the conference was held. Women were denied verbal participation because male leaders refused to speak on the same platform as them. To these men, it was a disgrace to speak on the same platform as the "inferior" gender.

In the antebellum period, came the movement of transcendentalism which emphasized individualism, self-reliance, and self-discipline. It transcended people to choose morality over prosperity. Looking at the idea of transcendentalism, communities began to stand up for their rights, thus started the reform movements of abolitionism and equality for women in the society. The abolition movement started in 1820’s in the upper south, its goal was end slavery in the United States (Abolitionist Movement). The women’s rights reform began in 1848 and fought for gender equality, such as the idea of equal property rights, and the right of women to vote(“Women’s Rights). Although the abolitionist and the women rights movement were different as both had different ways to express their opposition towards societal norms, they had more similarities because they both impacted the society by emphasizing the meaning of idealism and both portrayed social reform that included right to liberty and equality of education.

Numerous groups throughout history have wrestled for equal rights and engaged in combat against oppressors. Both the American women’s suffrage movement of the late 1800s and early 1900s and the Civil Rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s were examples of an oppressed group grappling with those above them for equality. Each group had to press for legislation that would protect them against inequality. Although the time periods of the women’s suffragette struggle and the African American Civil Rights endeavor were separate in history, the goals and methods of each were immensely similar.

“Compare and contrast women’s suffrage movements of the late nineteenth and early centuries with the European feminist movements of the 1960’s and 1970’s.”