Women's Rights Convention Essay History

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The National Woman 's Rights Convention (1850), also known as the Worcester Convention, or the First Worcester Convention was held in Brinkley Hall between October 23 and 24 1850 and was the initial gathering of advocates directed towards the development of a nationwide woman 's organization. The convention, being the first of two to be held in Worcester, had nearly one thousand persons in attendance from a number of states who represented a range of socioeconomic classes and involved many of the prominent civil rights, gender, and race advocates of the period. Attendees included persons such as William Lloyd Garrison (1805-1879), Frederick Douglas (1818-1895), Angelina Grimké (1805-1897), Lucretia Mott (1793-1880), Sojourner Truth …show more content…

The Worcester Convention included a combination of both male and female leadership and participants. Speakers in attendance included notable figures such as William Lloyd Garrison, William Henry Channing (1810-1884), Frederick Douglas, William Alexander Alcott (1798-1859), Harriot Hunt, Antoinette Brown Blackwell (1825-1921), Sojourner Truth, Abby Foster, Lucretia Mott and Lucy Stone. Though notably Elizabeth Stanton, a person later central to the early woman 's movement was absent from the proceedings owing to being in the advanced stages of pregnancy. Upon the commencement of events in October, the issues debated were wide ranging and included talks promoting the Civil Rights of all Americans regardless of race, women 's rights including the need for marital reform, the right to own property, control their estates, vote, receive higher education, as well as undertake a profession and keep their wages. In addition, speeches promoted the ideals of the Temperance Movement, argued against slavery, and argued for the removal of masculine language from state and national legislation and constitutions. In addressing these matters, speakers sought to promote liberal ideals and refute the biblical, political, social, and biological arguments frequently presented by their detractors against the proposition of women 's rights and the abolition

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