USING SENTIMENTS DOCUMENTS TO LEARN ABOUT THE WOMEN'S MOVEMENT

Brenda Betts
California State University-Stanislaus
U. S. A.

Sentiments Documents
The Women's Movement
The Abolitionist Movement
Instructional Ideas
Endnotes
References
Appendix: Sentiments Documents Graphic Organizer

Sentiments Documents

Sentiments documents have been written, usually by groups of people, to express their opinions and feelings (their sentiments) about an event or condition that is important to them.  The documents advocate for the rights of a group of people who have been subjected to inferior status, restricted opportunities, and unequal treatment.  Throughout U. S. history, several groups of people have expressed their sentiments about an event or a condition.  The Declaration of Independence is the first sentiments document.1 Some of the sentiments documents contained ideas and beliefs that were provocative and shocking for the time period.  Some of these documents generated considerable controversy and led to protests, campaigns, and legal battles, resulting in profound changes in society and social conditions.  Many of the civil rights taken for granted today were originally written in sentiments documents. [paragraph 1]  

The purpose of this article is to provide background information and effective instructional strategies for teaching about the Women's Movement in U. S.  history by using sentiments documents.  The activities in this article are recommended for middle and high school students.  Access to the Internet is necessary to obtain the sentiments documents. [paragraph 2]

A graphic organizer (see Appendix; click here to get the organizer in a separate page) is included at the end of this article, so the students can locate and organize information about sentiments documents.  An analysis and discussion of the content of these primary sources will enrich students' understanding of the significant social changes fostered through the ideas presented in sentiments documents.  Students may compare the civil rights identified in each sentiments document with each other.  Then, they may create their personal sentiments document or a sentiments document based on the needs of a disenfranchised group or a topic of interest. [paragraph 3]  

The Women's Movement  
 

A sentiments document that marked the official launching of the Women's Suffrage Movement in the United States was the speech written by Elizabeth Cady Stanton, given at the first Women's Rights Convention of 1848 in Seneca Falls, New York.  The Women's Rights Convention of 1848, the first large-scale meeting to discuss women's rights in the Unites States, came about after several U. S. women had traveled to London, England in 1840 to attend the World Anti-Slavery Convention.  When the women arrived at the convention, they were neither allowed to vote nor  to speak.  Angered by this injustice,  Elizabeth Cady Stanton  and Lucretia Mott resolved to create a Women's Rights Convention when they returned to the United States. The Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions presented at the 1848 Convention called for a woman's right to vote, own property, keep her wages, keep custody of her children, have access to higher education, and participate in public life.  On the second day of the convention, the women and men in attendance voted to accept, support, and work toward making these rights a reality for women in the United States.  A copy of this sentiments document for the Women's Rights Convention of 1848 is located at http://www.closeup.org/sentimnt.htm#resolutons.  Historical documents related to women and social movements are also available at http://www.binghamton.edu/womhist/index.html [paragraph 4]

Although it took 72 years of hard work, tenacity, and determination, women finally earned the right to vote in 1920.  Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton diligently contributed to the process for 50 years.  The following websites contain background information on Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and the Women's Rights Convention of 1848 at Seneca Falls, New York:

http://www.rochester.edu/SBA/sbaecs.html;
http://www.mith2.umd.edu/WomensStudies/ReadingRoom/History/Vote/75-suffragists.html;
http://www.nmwh.org/exhibits/tour_1.html
http://www.nps.gov/wori/;
http://www.memory.loc.gov/ammem/naw/nawshome.html;
http://www.memory.loc.gov/ammem/vfwhtml/vfwhome.html; and
http://www.greatwomen.org/women.php

An extensive bibliography about the Women's Suffrage Movement is also located at http://www.rochester.edu/SBA/bibliography.html. [paragraph 5]

Ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment is another struggle that women have persistently fought for since 1923.  The amendment was written in 1921 by suffragist Alice Paul to provide protection for women against gender discrimination.  From 1923 it was introduced in Congress every session.  It was not ratified by the required thirty-eight states by the July 1982 deadline and the ERA Summit was organized in 1991 to complete the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment.  The website at http://www.equalrightsamendment.org/era.htm contains the history and text of the Equal Rights Amendment. [paragraph 6]

In 1998, the National Organization for Women created another sentiments document, which can be found at  http://www2.uiuc.edu/ro/now/sentiments.html. By comparing the sentiments document of the Women's Rights Convention of 1848 to that of the National Organization for Women in 1998, students will be able to discuss the changes that have taken place as well as further changes that are advocated by women in the United States. For additional information and lesson ideas about the history and challenges faced by women in the United States, visit http://www.legacy98.org/move-hist.html. [paragraph 7]
 

The Abolitionist Movement  
 

Many men and women who were active in the Women's Suffrage Movement also participated in the Anti-Slavery Movement.2  Another sentiments document was produced by the American Anti-Slavery Society in 1833.  This Declaration of Sentiments can be located at http://www.coax.net/people/lwf/hb_asm.htm. African-Americans were also among contributors to the Women's Suffrage Movement and the Abolitionist Movement.  An extensive bibliography of African-American contributions can be found at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part3/bibliography3.html. [paragraph 8]