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Why Is Elizabeth Cady Stanton Important To Women's Suffrage?

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The Declaration of Independence once stated “we hold these truths to be self evident that all men are created equal” and was not true to its promise as human equality was only promised to white men. After having experienced the status as an inferior women in society, Elizabeth Cady Stanton dedicated her life to ensure that women’s roles in society would be equal to those of men’s through fighting for women’s suffrage. As a young child, Stanton was exposed to the legal boundaries that prevented women from their rights and experienced the idea that women were lesser within her own family. Her father, Daniel Cady, was a lawyer that dealt with cases involving women living with their abusive fathers and husbands, who could not be protected by …show more content…

She was able to craft a strong presentation in the case for women's rights through the “Declaration of Independence”, articles of the Revolution, and the “Woman's Bible” (“Elizabeth Cady Stanton” - Biography Online). Stanton was a strong advocate for universal coeducation for boys and girls and believed that children would learn to respect each other while breaking the traditional roles of society (“Elizabeth Cady Stanton” - Biography Online). She encouraged women to challenge the purpose of women and the concept of “traditional women” (“Elizabeth Cady Stanton” - DISCovering Biography). While Stanton believed that voting was a crucial process of elevating a women’s role in society, she also fought for women’s rights beyond the right to vote. She supported liberalized divorce laws, reproductive self-determination, and increased legal rights for women (“Elizabeth Cady Stanton: Suffragette”). Her passion for women’s rights led to a division between her and more conservative suffragists, and wasn’t recognized as prominent figure of securing voting rights for all citizens. Nevertheless, Stanton fought to end barriers that denied American citizens the right to voice their opinions purely on the basis of their gender, and historians today consider her as the “Philosophical mother of American feminism” (“Elizabeth Cady Stanton” - DISCovering

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