Kayla

The Worcester Convention

The Phrenological Journal, speaking of this convention, has the following:

   "The move is a good one, and should have the cordial concurrence of every lover of both the sex and the race. Many old-style conservatives will undoubtedly jeer at the Movement, and many others wonder what they will find to talk about and do; yet time will show that it is imperiously demanded, and will result in good.

   "We fear, however, that as one extreme follows another, and as woman has been too generally excluded from the deliberations of men, men will be excluded from the deliberations of this convention. It is announced as a convention of WOMEN. This is obviously an error. If man will not do the work, and if women will not take hold in conjunction with man, it is obviously best that she take hold alone. But the true modus operandi is for BOTH sexes to UNITE in this movement. It is not so much for woman to elevate herself, nor for man to elevate woman, as for both to meet in consultation, each earnestly inquiring what can be done to elevate and improve the feminine. There should be no female conventions, no male conventions; but all conventions should COMBINE all the qualities of the male sex with all those of the female. In plain English, society has overlooked this great law, that the sexes hold exactly the same relation to each other in their COLLECTIVE capacity, that husbands and wives hold toward each other in their individual relations. As, in all the affairs of life, the married pair should mutually consult WITH AND FOR EACH OTHER; and as it requires the heads and hearts of BOTH successfully to plan and carry forward all the important, and even all the detailed affairs of their lives, so the sexes are virtually man and wife, and hence man should make no move without the concurrence and aid of woman, and woman none without the help of man."

   The philosophy of these remarks is unmistakably correct, but the editor is strangely mistaken about the character of the proposed convention. The call is addressed to "the MEN AND WOMEN of our country who feel sufficient interest in the great question of woman's rights," &c., and it expressly says:

   "Men and Women, in their reciprocities of love and duty, are one flesh and one blood-mother, wife, sister and daughter come so near the heart and mind of every man that they must be either his blessing or his bane. Where there is such mutuality of interests, such an interlinking of life, there can be no real antagonism of position and action. The sexes should not, for any reason or by any chance, take hostile attitudes toward each other, either in the apprehension or amendment of the wrongs which exist in their necessary relations; but they should harmonize in opinion and co-operate in effort, for the reason that they must unite in the ultimate achievement of the desired reformation."

   It is, moreover, signed by about an equal number of men and women, so that the remarks of the Journal do not at all apply to it.

 

-  This article is showing how some of the womens rights movements tried women above men.  People dont think that this is right.  They think that the goal of the womens right movement should be to make them equal not to put women on a pedistal.  

 

THE WOMAN'S RIGHTS CONVENTION.

   This Convention was held in Worcester on the 23d and 24th inst., and we regret to say that we have barely time and room, this week, hastily to say, that in point of numbers, spirit and ability, it far exceeded our most sanguine hope and expectations, and was really the noblest series of meetings that we ever attended. Days and evenings, Brinley Hall was crowded with as intelligent, orderly, and interested a class of people as we ever saw assembled; and the speaking was uniformly the best we ever heard from such a large number of speakers. Lucretia Mott, Paulina Davis, Mrs. [Sarah] Tyndale, Wm. H. Channing, Wendell Phillips, Lucy Stone, Stephen S. and A.K. Foster, Abby H. Price, Miss [Antoinette] Brown, Frederick Douglass, Miss Morey, Mrs. [Ernestine] Rose -- these, that come crowding upon our mind, with others whose names we do not remember, and have not room to record, all spoke with a clearness, an earnestness, a directness, an eloquence, a philanthropy, an impressiveness, and a power, that inspired us with a fresh hope of humanity, and a new purpose to consecrate ourself to a physical, intellectual and moral redemption of the whole race. We should like exceedingly to speak of the address and remarks of each, but must reluctantly forbear. God bless all these noble men and women, and raise up more like them to labor in the great work of universal reformation, unity and happiness! Meanwhile, may all those who were present at the Convention and sympathizing with it, cherish the holy and sublime aspirations and purposes awakened within them, and unitedly and continually labor for the realization of what they long for! By and by, those who mean to be the doers of the word, as well as hearers and speakers of it, will organise Communities on the principles of justice and equality, in harmony with the law of celestial love. Let us hope on and ever. There is ‘a good time coming.’[A <#a> ] The kingdom of God draweth near![B <#b> ]

   We copy the foregoing notice of the Worcester Convention from the Practical Christian, as an exact transcript of our own feelings and sentiments in regard to the proceedings of that highly intellectual and moral assembly. Our readers shall hereafter be furnished with the letters, addresses and speeches read or made on the occasion, as far as practicable.


- In this they are just talking about how great the convention was, there were many very smart people who spoke at the conventions

Francis

1) “The Worcester Fanatics, Progress of Socialism, Abolition, and Infidelity”

“It has been known ever since Fourier, Brisbane, and Greeley first promulgated their social theories, that society is wrong. It is also known that their attempts to reform it have signally failed… Most assuredly, this grand reformation involves, as incidentals, the abolition of slavery, black and white happiness, the doctrine of amalgamation to its fullest extant, and such promiscuous carnival of happiness, fun and refinement, as was never dreamed of…”

The New York Herald’s editor James Bennett was the archrival of Horace Greeley, who was the editor of the New York Daily Tribune. Bennett believed that women’s rights were the latest “string of harebrained efforts to reinvent society.” It appeared that Bennett strongly opposed the very ideals that “the philosophers” were fighting for – abolishing slavery, allowing whites and blacks to live together in harmony, and for blacks, women, and men to have access to the same rights. He summed up his article explaining that Satan was truly working through these people and that they needed to be stopped.

2) “The Woman’s Rights Convention”

“God Bless all these noble men and women, and raise up more like them to labor in the great work of universal reformation, unity and happiness! By and by, those who mean to be the doers of the word, as well as hearers and speakers of it, will organise Communities on the principles of justice and equality, in harmony with the law of celestial love. Let us hope on and ever. There is a good time coming. The Kingdom of God draweth near!”

On the other side of the spectrum, William Lloyd Garrison praised the Woman’s Rights Convention as “highly intellectual and moral assembly” through his newspaper, The Liberator. Garrison believed that the people in attendance at the Convention were doing the work of Jesus by working towards equality and justice for all humanity. By living the message of the Gospel and preaching the Word of God, these people were guiding the world closer to the Kingdom of God in which Jesus had introduced to the world. The world was in need of universal reform and these people would lead this courageous and revolutionary movement.

3) Elizabeth Blackwell on the 1850 Women’s Rights Convention

“I cannot sympathize fully with an anti-man movement. I have had too much kindness, aid, and just recognition from men to make such attitude of women otherwise…and I think the true end of freedom may be gained better in another way…I feel a little perplexed by the main object of the Convention  -- Woman’s Rights. The great object of education has nothing to do with woman’s rights, or man’s rights, but with the development of human soul and body.”

Elizabeth Blackwell, the first American woman to obtain a medical degree in the United States, had grown up and worked in a male dominated society. However, according to her letter addressed to her sister, Marion, she seemed rather content with the situation. She appreciated the kindness and help men had given her along the way and remained skeptical about a movement in which she considered was “anti-man.” She clearly stated that she did not understand the main objective of the convention as education dealt with neither male nor female rights, but of the development of the human soul and body. In other words, she felt that the women in Worcester, Ma were making a big deal out of nothing. Interestingly, she never proposes another way that “freedom may be gained better.”   

Brooke

Document 20: "Woman's Rights Convention," New York Herald (28 October 1850): 4:

“…the Woman's Rights Convention, after two day's discussion of the most horrible trash, has put forth its platform and adjourned.”

“The full consummation of their diabolical projects would reduce society to the most beastly and promiscuous confusion--the most disgusting barbarism that could be devised; and the most revolting familiarities of equality and licentiousness between whites and blacks, of both sexes, that lunatics and demons could invent.”

“Doctrines like these contemplating the overthrow of society, law, religion, and decency…”

 In the next three quotes, the author simply misses the messages these speakers are trying to convey. In mocking them, he shows what he really believes their intentions are.

“Sojourner Truth, a lady of color, being a sojourner in the convention, and being called upon to speak the truth, did so by declaring that woman, in the first place, had put every thing wrong, by eating the forbidden fruit, and that she must now set everything to rights again. Frederick Douglass figured largely. He had learned to take his rights. He had been turned out of railroad cars and steamboats, knocked on the head, and kicked and cuffed like a dog, but he didn't mind it.”

 Sarah Tyndale recommended the women to be encouraged, for it appeared that she herself had been remarkably successful in the crockery business.

Mrs. Lucy Stone was very ambitious. She wanted woman put ahead, so that when she died, it should not be written upon her grave-stone that she was the "relict" [widow] of somebody.

All right. But what does the Convention mean!--and what are the materials?

Mrs. Lucretia Mott, Quakeress, skeptic, abolitionist, and general in chief.
Abby Kelly Foster or Meg Merrilies, aide de-camp.[E]
Hubby Kelly Foster, a wretched fanatic.
Wm. Lloyd Garrison, a rampant, raving Judas.
Charles C. Burleigh, or Grizzly Burley, a Judy.
Mrs. Sarah Tyndale, merchant and general philanthropist.
Frederick Douglass, fugitive slave.
Mrs. Rose, Polish Jewess turned infidel philosopher.
Sojourner Truth, a deluded lady of color.
Wendell Phillips, abolition demagogue.
Wm. H. Channing, ditto.
Mrs. Mercy, female doctor of medicine.
Miss Brown, professor of theology.


Document 13: John Milton Earle, "The Convention," Massachusetts Spy (23 October 1850): 2:


“To suppose that the laws and customs of the community, as they now exist, in relation to the relative and reciprocal rights, duties, and relations of the sexes, are not susceptible of improvement, is not wise or philosophical.”

 “We are not among those, therefore, who would meet such a movement as this with either opposition or ridicule. We pity those who would. We wish those engaged in it a hearty Godspeed in the work, knowing it can do no harm, and hoping it may do much good.”


Document 22: "The Woman's Rights Convention," The Liberator (1 November 1850): 175.


“This Convention was held in Worcester on the 23d and 24th inst…spirit and ability, it far exceeded our most sanguine hope and expectations, and was really the noblest series of meetings that we ever attended.”

“…Brinley Hall was crowded with as intelligent, orderly, and interested a class of people as we ever saw assembled; and the speaking was uniformly the best we ever heard from such a large number of speakers.”

“all spoke with a clearness, an earnestness, a directness, an eloquence, a philanthropy, an impressiveness, and a power, that inspired us with a fresh hope of humanity, and a new purpose to consecrate ourself to a physical, intellectual and moral redemption of the whole race.”

Amanda

Document 12: Jane Grey Swisshelm, "The Worcester Convention," The Saturday Visiter (21 September 1850): 142.
"We fear, however, that as one extreme follows another, and as woman has been too generally excluded from the deliberations of men, men will be excluded from the deliberations of this convention. It is announced as a convention of WOMEN. This is obviously an error. If man will not do the work, and if women will not take hold in conjunction with man, it is obviously best that she take hold alone. But the true modus operandi is for BOTH sexes to UNITE in this movement. It is not so much for woman to elevate herself, nor for man to elevate woman, as for both to meet in consultation, each earnestly inquiring what can be done to elevate and improve the feminine. There should be no female conventions, no male conventions; but all conventions should COMBINE all the qualities of the male sex with all those of the female. In plain English, society has overlooked this great law, that the sexes hold exactly the same relation to each other in their COLLECTIVE capacity, that husbands and wives hold toward each other in their individual relations. As, in all the affairs of life, the married pair should mutually consult WITH AND FOR EACH OTHER; and as it requires the heads and hearts of BOTH successfully to plan and carry forward all the important, and even all the detailed affairs of their lives, so the sexes are virtually man and wife, and hence man should make no move without the concurrence and aid of woman, and woman none without the help of man."

What the author is saying is that the convention should not have just been about women or men, it was about both women and men combining and working together. They should combine the qualities that both have to offer.


Document 13: John Milton Earle, "The Convention," Massachusetts Spy (23 October 1850): 2.
Introduction
   The following editorial appeared in the Massachusetts Spy, published in Worcester, on the opening morning of the Convention. The Spy's editor/publisher, John Milton Earle, was the husband of Sarah Earle, who signed the Call and called the convention to order. In contrast to the editors of the New York Herald (see Document 17) and the Boston Daily Mail (see Document 15), Earle supported woman's rights and envisioned a lively debate on the convention floor. While the Proceedings did not include any details on debates that took place during the convention, newspaper articles devoted considerable attention to such debates.

Thoughtless persons may laugh this subject off, as many have done and do with a sneer, but a sneer proves nothing, and in our opinion is poorly applied in such a case as this. To suppose that the laws and customs of the community, as they now exist, in relation to the relative and reciprocal rights, duties, and relations of the sexes, are not susceptible of improvement, is not wise or philosophical.

It’s interesting to see how a man would respond to this and offer these women “God’s speed” at obtaining what they want to. However, I wonder if this man’s views would be different if his wife was not participating in this convention.


Document 23: "Women's Rights and Duties, The Worcester Convention," New York Daily Tribune (2 November 1850): 6.
 Now, I am at a loss to know what the Women of the Worcester Convention are aiming at. It is clear that, if we are going to live, or have any private comforts, there must be dinners cooked, children's faces must be washed, and there must be a home -- a home to which the mind of the weary husband will turn to bear him up and urge him on in his toils for the inmates of that sanctuary -- a home where he can for a time forget, in his wife's and children's society, the toils and troubles of this weary world -- a home which he can never leave without carrying with him a new grace, a new strength, drawn from Woman's influence, to enable him victoriously and manfully to withstand the trials and temptations of the world. Now, if Women are given the right to vote, to electioneer, to become stateswomen, why it is an incontrovertible fact (that is, if they attend properly to politics) that the dinners must go uncooked, the children's faces unwashed, and home be forgotten -- unless, indeed, the men exchange duties with them, as was proposed at the Convention, and stay at home and help their wives cook and wash the dishes.”

The view that is shown is something that we know today. Just because women don’t cook doesn’t mean that it will not get down. People then seem to think that if the women were not cooking or cleaning the children’s face then no one will do it.  I don’t think that they wanted the men to stay home and cook and wash the dishes, women just wanted to be treated fairly

Rebecca B.

Document 11

“The neighbor is near enough to involve every human being in a general equality of rights and community of interests; but, Men and Women, in their reciprocities of love and duty are one flesh and one blood--mother, wife, sister and daughter come so near the heart and mind of every man that they must be either his blessing or his bane.”

“The sexes should not, for any reason or by any chance, take hostile attitudes toward each other, either in the apprehension or amendment of the wrongs which exist in their necessary relations; but they should harmonize in opinion and co-operate in effort, for the reason that they must unite in the ultimate achievement of the desired reformation.”

“In the relation of marriage she has been ideally annihilated, and actually enslaved in all that concerns her personal and pecuniary rights; and even in widowhood and single life, she is oppressed with such limitation and degradation of labor and avocation as clearly and cruelly mark the condition of a disable caste.”

Document 12

“We fear, however, that as one extreme follows another, and as woman has been too generally excluded from the deliberations of men, men will be excluded from the deliberations of this convention. It is announced as a convention of WOMEN. This is obviously an error. If man will not do the work, and if women will not take hold in conjunction with man, it is obviously best that she take hold alone.

“In plain English, society has overlooked this great law, that the sexes hold exactly the same relation to each other in their COLLECTIVE capacity, that husbands and wives hold toward each other in their individual relations. As, in all the affairs of life, the married pair should mutually consult WITH AND FOR EACH OTHER; and as it requires the heads and hearts of BOTH successfully to plan and carry forward all the important, and even all the detailed affairs of their lives, so the sexes are virtually man and wife, and hence man should make no move without the concurrence and aid of woman, and woman none without the help of man."

Document 18

“A WOMAN'S Rights Convention!
There's music in the word;
Through every vein of living frame
My warm life's-blood is stirred.

A Woman's Right Convention!
Deny it every Man!
Then right the evil done her,
That instant if ye can.”

“SOJOURNER TRUTH, a colored woman, once a slave, spoke, and gratified the audience highly. She showed that beneath her dark skin, and uncomely exterior there was a true, womanly heart. She uttered some truths that told well. She said Woman set the world wrong by eating the forbidden fruit, and now she was going to set it right. She said Goodness never had any beginning; it was from everlasting and could never die. But Evil had a beginning, and must have an end. She expressed great reverence for God, and faith he will bring about his own purposes and plans.”

“Mr. CHANNING rose to thank his sister for her noble conduct. If he were her son he should be proud of a mother who could stand up here and give such words of encouragement, and who had done such deeds. There were not many dry eyes in the house during this scene.”

” S.S. FOSTER spoke at much length upon the Bible argument. He was not satisfied with it; he was not convinced that the Bible did not give the Woman an inferior position in the scale of being than man. His object seemed to be to make his remarks bear against the plenary inspiration of the Bible, and the equal authority of all its parts. He thought the words of Christ taught the equality of the sexes. He expressed greater reverence for the teachings of the Saviour than for Paul. He was interrupted by other speakers and finally yielded the floor.”

CJ

   “He did not know whether this would ever be obtained by suffrage or not; but woman's judgment and woman's heart shall yet be felt in the very center of legislation. The purity of wisdom and of heart which belongs to woman is not expressed in the church, nor in the state. It is shut out from the pulpit and the halls of legislation.-- But there is a method he would suggest, by which it could be made to bear on the public heart and mind. Let there be an Annual Congress of Women, to whom there shall be a standard of moral appeal, and their influence shall be felt far and wide.”  (Doc. 16, Rev. William H. Channing)

 

   “The philosophers of the Tribune have, therefore, published the Worcester platform in the capacity of the official organ of this tremendous reformation. Old things are to be done away with, and all things are to become new. Seward is to be sustained, and [President Millard] Fillmore is only to be tolerated till the advent of the new dispensation, when Lucretia Mott, Abby Kelly, Douglas, Greeley and Sojourner Truth are to rule the roast. Then, and not till then, shall we realise the jubilee of the Devil and his angels.”  (Doc. 21, James Gordon Bennett of the New York Herald)

“A WOMAN'S Rights Convention!
There's music in the word;
Through every vein of living frame
My warm life's-blood is stirred.

A Woman's Right Convention!
Deny it every Man!
Then right the evil done her,
That instant if ye can.

A Woman's Right Convention!
Is not laid low in dust,
A better time is coming,
Because it will and must.

A Woman's Rights Convention!
Ring out the word on high;
If my brother, Man, will help me
To help myself, I'll try;

And with the power given me
By our all-gracious Lord,
Obtain my Rights, in every light
By plowshare, not by sword.
-- ‘A WOMAN OF THE 19TH CENTURY’” (Doc. 18)

 

            The three different passages I have chosen illustrate three different parts of the Woman’s Rights Convention in Worcester in 1850.  The first one was written about a man, Reverend William H. Channing, in which he (correctly) doubts that women will be granted the right to vote in terms of the U.S. government.  But, he says if there is a “Woman’s Congress,” to convene just like the U.S. Congress, they could possibly push for new laws, etc. that would be pro-equality and have strength in numbers.
            The second document illustrates how Worcester was a hotbed of radicalism in the mid-nineteenth century.  It is an answer to his rival, Horace Greeley (editor of the New York Daily Tribune), who denounced the women’s movement as a rash effort by the left-wing to “reinvent” society.  Bennett claims that this really is a revolutionary movement, and believes in its fervor to succeed in America.  This is the conclusion to his editorial.
            The third selection is a poem that was read at the beginning of the meeting of October 24, 1850 in Worcester.  It is one woman’s feelings about the changing tide in history.  Women were no longer going to be oppressed my men, the poem says.  This shows how truly revolutionary people thought the convention was, and felt that women activists now had a foot in the door to equality that had been closed to them throughout history.

Emily B.

“Children's stories, especially that sub-genre we might call cautionary tales, provide a rich body of evidence on how young girls learned the code. In "The Tomboy Who Was Changed into a Real Boy," the heroine played with boys, was fond of noise, and "was very far from clever with her stitches." So, late one night "they" (unidentified) change her into a real boy and her parents send her off to sea as a cabin boy. A worse fate awaited "The Girl Who Inked Herself." Unable to cure herself of playing with her pens and ink, she gradually becomes darker and darker until she was "blacker than a Guinea negro." Her parents also banish her. They sell her for a rag doll! Worst of all is what happened to Pauline who persisted in playing with matches.”

“Propriety of movement and general demeanor in company.--To look steadily at any one, especially if you are a lady and are speaking to a gentleman; to turn the head frequently on one side and the other during conversation; to balance yourself upon your chair; to bend forward; to strike your hands upon your knees; to hold one of your knees between your hands locked together; to cross your legs; to extend your feet on the andirons; to admire yourself with complacency in a glass; to adjust, in an affected manner, your cravat, hair, dress, or handkerchief; to remain without gloves; to fold carefully your shawl, instead of throwing it with graceful negligence upon a table; to fret about a hat which you have just left off; to laugh immoderately; to place your hand upon the person with whom you are conversing; to take him by the buttons, the collar of his cloak, the cuffs, the waist, and so forth; to seize any person by the waist or arm, or to touch their person; to roll the eyes or to raise them with affectation; to take snuff from the box of your neighbor, or to offer it to strangers, especially to ladies; to play continually with your chain or fan; to beat time with the feet and hands; to whirl round a chair with your hand; to shake with your feet the chair of your neighbor; to rub your face or your hands; wink your eyes; shrug up your shoulders; stamp with your feet, and so forth; --all these bad habits, of which we cannot speak to people, are in the highest degree displeasing.”

“It is very well known that thousands, nay, millions of women in this country are condemned to the most menial drudgery, such as men would scorn to engage in, and that for one-fourth wages; that thousands of women toil at avocations which public opinion pretends to assign to men. They plough, harrow, reap, dig, make hay, rake, bind grain, thrash, chop wood, milk, churn, do anything that is hard work, physical labor, and who says any thing against it? But let one presume to use her mental powers--let her aspire to turn editor, public speaker, doctor, lawyer--take up any profession or avocation which is deemed honorable and requires talent, and O! bring the Cologne, get a cambric kerchief and a feather fan, unloose his corsets and take off his cravat! What a fainting fit Mr. Propriety has taken! Just to think that 'one of the deah creathures' [sic], the heavenly angels, should forsake the spheres--woman's sphere--to mix with the wicked strife of this wicked world!”

“The unalienable rights of woman are enjoyed by a very inconsiderable portion of the human race. Even among the polished and enlightened nations of Europe, she is greatly restricted in her just privileges. In no other country on the face of the globe, are her rights so well guarded by law, and so much respected by the unanimous voice of the people, as this. The customs of our country give to woman a freedom of communication with the opposite sex, by which she is enabled not only to become acquainted with their mental and moral qualifications in the main, but to study well their characters and dispositions in all their various ramifications. This is a desideratum of the utmost importance, a great privilege, especially before entering into the most interesting contract of human society [i.e., marriage]. It is important to woman in all the varied grades of association and relation, with which she may be connected with the other sex, in the minor as well as in the major points, that she know those well, with whom business or inclination, brings her in contact. Here she enjoys a community of rights and interests with man--she is his equal--she can do as she pleases, and every body knows that nothing can be more gratifying to the feelings of a woman, than to be able to do what she has a mind to! Here she is universally beloved and esteemed, and treated with the kindness due to her character and feelings as a woman, and the respect due to the interesting and exalted position she sustains, as the female representative of a powerful and independent nation. Here she is a free woman!”

“She made reference to the language of Mrs. [Abby Kelley] Foster, who she feared would be construed to favor the use of violence and bloodshed as one of the means of obtaining these rights. She thought she might not be understood. What she said on the subject was based upon the supposition that certain other things were right. She wished her friend had given her own views of the subject. Mrs. Mott then went on in a few eloquent and powerful remarks, to urge that the weapons of their warfare were not carnal, but spiritual, and might through God, to the pulling down of strongholds. That they must fight with the sword of the spirit, even the works of God; they must appeal to the pure sentiments of the mind, and the justice of their cause. She was opposed to any twaddle on that subject, as was her friend. We want to speak earnestly and truly the words of honest and sober conviction. We want to speak in tones of reproof to those on whom the guilt of these wrongs rests. We want to say as Jesus did "Ye fools and blind," "Ye hypocrites," and to our Sisters, who are still indifferent and contented with their position "O, thou slothful and slow of heart, rise up in the strength of thy Womanhood, and Christ shall give thee light." There is no greater mistake than to suppose that what is called non-resistance is timid and inefficient method of meeting those evils. It is the strongest kind of resistance -- the resistance of moral sentiment, of justice and truth. It will not permit us to injure our fellow beings, to take their lives, but it leaves to us that higher resistance which comes from God.” – Speech by Lucretia Mott

“Abby Kelly Foster--I do not talk of woman's rights, but of human rights, the rights of human beings. I do not come to ask [for] them, but to demand them; not to get down on my knees and beg for them, but to claim them. "Sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander." We have our rights, and the right to revolt, as did our fathers against King George the Third--the right to rise up and cut the tyrants' throats. On this subject I scorn to talk like a woman. We must give them the truth, and not twaddle. We must not be mealy mouthed with our tyrants in broadcloth and tight clothes. In short, in the harangue of Abby, she simply demanded that men and women should be treated as human beings all alike--that the sexes should be forgotten in society--that property and votes and offices, civil, religious and military, even to the right of cutting throats, should belong to woman as well as to man. She urged that the work should be commenced by educating both sexes together, and that all distinction in society between man and woman should be abolished, and that a woman was just as well qualified to be President as a man. [Applause.]” – Speech by Kelley Foster

“If an extraordinary male gymnast can clear a height of ten feet with the aid of a springboard, it would be considered slightly absurd to ask a woman to leap eleven feet without one; yet this is precisely what society and the critics have always done. Training and wages and social approbation are very elastic springboards; and the whole course of history has seen these offered bounteously to one sex, and as sedulously withheld from the other. Let woman consent to be a doll, and there was no finery so gorgeous, no baby-house so costly, but she might aspire to share its lavish delights; let her ask simply for an equal chance to learn, to labor, and to live, and it was as if that same doll should open its lips, and propound Euclid's forty-seventh proposition. While we have all deplored the helpless position of indigent women, and lamented that they had no alternative beyond the needle, the wash-tub, the schoolroom, and the street, we have usually resisted their admission into every new occupation, denied them training, and cut their compensation down. Like Charles Lamb, who atoned for coming late to the office in the morning by going away early in the afternoon, we have, first, half educated women, and then, to restore the balance, only half paid them.” - Thomas Wentworth Higginson

Emily V.

Document 12:
“for BOTH sexes to UNITE in this movement. It is not so much for woman to elevate herself, nor for man to elevate woman, as for both to meet in consultation, each earnestly inquiring what can be done to elevate and improve the feminine. There should be no female conventions, no male conventions; but all conventions should COMBINE all the qualities of the male sex with all those of the female. In plain English, society has overlooked this great law, that the sexes hold exactly the same relation to each other in their COLLECTIVE capacity, that husbands and wives hold toward each other in their individual relations. As, in all the affairs of life, the married pair should mutually consult WITH AND FOR EACH OTHER; and as it requires the heads and hearts of BOTH successfully to plan and carry forward all the important, and even all the detailed affairs of their lives, so the sexes are virtually man and wife, and hence man should make no move without the concurrence and aid of woman, and woman none without the help of man."”
 
Document 16
“She said they must mourn over the admitted inferiority of woman; over her slavish subjection to the evil customs and prejudices of society. It was not strange, after so long a period of degradation, she should be enervated and contented with her inferior position. She desired that we might speak with the earnestness and severity of the truth -- with an earnestness and severity that should make the ears of man tingle for the degraded position in which he has kept woman during so many ages, and especially under the influences of the religion and teachings of the Son of God.”
 
Document 20
“Mrs. Lucy Stone was very ambitious. She wanted woman put ahead, so that when she died, it should not be written upon her grave-stone that she was the "relict" [widow] of somebody. Mr. Hubby Kelly Foster was not satisfied with the Bible doctrine of the inferiority of woman; of course not, when his spouse, Abby Kelly Foster, was at his elbow. Mrs. Lucretia Mott, the ruling spirit of the establishment, thought that St. Paul, being an old bachelor, was a perfect ninny, and didn't know anything about women, and was no sort of a judge, and not entitled to respect, in recommending "Wives, be obedient to your husbands." St. Paul, after all, was only a barbarian, full of the ignorance and prejudice of that time of day”

Kerri

“Woman has been condemned for her greater delicacy of physical organization, to inferiority of intellectual and moral culture, and to the forfeiture of great social, civil and religious privileges. In the relation of marriage she has been ideally annihilated, and actually enslaved in all that concerns her personal and pecuniary rights; and even in widowhood and single life, she is oppressed with such limitation and degradation of labor and avocation as clearly and cruelly mark the condition of a disable caste. But, by the inspiration of the Almighty, the beneficent spirit of reform is roused to the redress of those wrongs. The tyranny which degrades and crushes wives and mothers, sits no longer lightly on the world's conscience--the heart's home-worship feels the stain of stooping at a dishonored alter--Manhood begins to feel the shame of muddying the springs from which it draws its highest life; and, Womanhood is everywhere awakening to assert its divinely chartered rights, and to fulfil its noblest duties. It is the spirit of reviving truth and righteousness which has moved upon the great deep of the public heart and aroused its redressing justice; and, through it, the Providence of God is vindicating the order and appointments of his creation.”

 http://www.alexanderstreet6.com/wasm/wasmrestricted/DP67/doc11.htm

 "Men and Women, in their reciprocities of love and duty, are one flesh and one blood-mother, wife, sister and daughter come so near the heart and mind of every man that they must be either his blessing or his bane. Where there is such mutuality of interests, such an interlinking of life, there can be no real antagonism of position and action. The sexes should not, for any reason or by any chance, take hostile attitudes toward each other, either in the apprehension or amendment of the wrongs which exist in their necessary relations; but they should harmonize in opinion and co-operate in effort, for the reason that they must unite in the ultimate achievement of the desired reformation."

http://www.alexanderstreet6.com/wasm/wasmrestricted/DP67/doc12.htm

“So far from thinking Women "slaves," I do not see how it can appear in such a light to any thinking mind, any true-hearted woman. There is something so superior about Woman that would make one shrink as from profanation at the idea of her mingling in public with "the sterner and worser sex" -- a spiritualization that raises her far above the intrigues of politicians and the vulgarity of rowdies -- a superiority which, if not acknowledged in words, is confessed in actions, even by men who, however degraded they may be, refrain from the slightest word or action that could be commented upon, in the presence of a woman.”

 http://www.alexanderstreet6.com/wasm/wasmrestricted/DP67/doc23.htm

Sarah

 “These are sentiments which I have often heard expressed by one who still exclaims, " I will be master in my own house; those who live with me shall obey me." And the obedience which is required of a wife is as servile as that which is rendered by any bond slave.”
            -compares the plight of a female in society at this time to the plight of a slave.

 

“I have seen the staunchest advocates of "Woman's rights" and "human freedom," exercise the most brutal tyranny over wives and daughters. I have seen a quiet Christian woman beaten, by a man who was ever railing against oppression. I have seen the marks of an inch cable on the shoulders of a grown up daughter, placed there by a man who was ever uttering anathemas against those, who, for any reason applied the lash to those over whom the law gave them power! I have seen a little girl drop lifeless under the infliction of the rod, which was used not merely as an instrument of punishment, but to prove that he who wielded it had a right to do what he pleased with his own.”
            -demonstrates that the male ran the household, and was free to rule as he saw fit (again         similarity between the beatings a slave received and the ones inflicted upon wives/daughters)

 

“Children's stories, especially that sub-genre we might call cautionary tales, provide a rich body of evidence on how young girls learned the code. In "The Tomboy Who Was Changed into a Real Boy," the heroine played with boys, was fond of noise, and "was very far from clever with her stitches." So, late one night "they" (unidentified) change her into a real boy and her parents send her off to sea as a cabin boy. A worse fate awaited "The Girl Who Inked Herself." Unable to cure herself of playing with her pens and ink, she gradually becomes darker and darker until she was "blacker than a Guinea negro." Her parents also banish her. They sell her for a rag doll!”
            - that the social norms were impressed upon girls at a very young age; the use of scare tactics             such as the stories above indicate that girls and women were taught adhere to the accepted,     proper conduct or risk rejection by their families and alienation from society

 

“Propriety of movement and general demeanor in company.--To look steadily at any one, especially if you are a lady and are speaking to a gentleman; to turn the head frequently on one side and the other during conversation; to balance yourself upon your chair; to bend forward; to strike your hands upon your knees; to hold one of your knees between your hands locked together; to cross your legs; to extend your feet on the andirons; to admire yourself with complacency in a glass; to adjust, in an affected manner, your cravat, hair, dress, or handkerchief; to remain without gloves; to fold carefully your shawl, instead of throwing it with graceful negligence upon a table; to fret about a hat which you have just left off; to laugh immoderately; to place your hand upon the person with whom you are conversing; to take him by the buttons, the collar of his cloak, the cuffs, the waist, and so forth; to seize any person by the waist or arm, or to touch their person; to roll the eyes or to raise them with affectation; to take snuff from the box of your neighbor, or to offer it to strangers, especially to ladies; to play continually with your chain or fan; to beat time with the feet and hands; to whirl round a chair with your hand; to shake with your feet the chair of your neighbor; to rub your face or your hands; wink your eyes; shrug up your shoulders; stamp with your feet, and so forth; [P. 88] --all these bad habits, of which we cannot speak to people, are in the highest degree displeasing.”
            -excerpt from The Lady’s Guide to Perfect Gentility; one of many examples laid out of how     women were expected to behave.

Mindy

1. “As early as 1844 she commenced the study of anatomy and physiology, and gave public lectures on these subjects. She sent to Paris and imported the first femme modele that was ever brought into the country. She has told me many amusing anecdotes of the effect of unveiling this manikin in the presence of a class of ladies. Some would leave the house, others faint in their seats, others draw down their veils, and a few only had the moral hardihood and scientific curiosity to appreciate it and examine the fearful and wonderful manner in which they were made. In course of time, however, these natural 'weaknesses and disabilities' were overcome, and many of Mrs. Davis' classes are to-day professors as well as pupils in our medical colleges, hospitals and dissecting rooms, the result of her early efforts in urging the medical education of women. Many who are now comfortably supporting themselves in that profession gratefully acknowledge her influence in directing the whole future of their lives. – Elizabeth Stanton speaking of Paulina Davis at the 1870 Convention”
1. This quote illustrates the breadth of contribution that a single woman, Paulina Davis, had on the woman’s rights movement. Typically she is known simply as the president of the First National Convention, but her contributions and effort stem far beyond that. She took her interest in medicine and tried to use that to get other woman involved in not only the medical field but also with the suffrage movement. It was also interesting to see how society has changed so much since the mid 19th century, especially with regards to appropriate behavior. This passage really helped to put the National Convention in the right time frame so that it would not be viewed in the context of our society today. The unveiling of the mannequin made some women faint, or leave, or pull down their veils. Today, mannequins and the “female form” are everywhere and nobody thinks twice about it. It is important to recognize this extreme shift to fully understand the world that women like Paulina Davis were trying to change.
2. "Power is corrupting," says the Politician. "Power is corrupting," says the foe to hierarchies. "Good men, the best men, should not be entrusted with absolute power." "Power is corrupting," says the enemy of slavery, "men should not be permitted the absolute control of human beings; however good the master may be, he will be tempted to indulge in tyranny, if there is nothing external to restrain him."
   These are sentiments which I have often heard expressed by one who still exclaims, "I will be master in my own house; those who live with me shall obey me." – Essay by Minnie Myrtle.
1. This shows the paradoxical thinking that was common at this time in the United States. Men, especially in the North, agreed that slavery was wrong and that absolute power could corrupt even the best men. Yet, they still believed that they should have absolute control in their homes and should be obeyed. These men admit that it is next to impossible not to engage in tyranny when no external restraints are present. Yet, they do not move to impose external restraints. Also, people were acknowledging, at least in part, that the brutal treatment of the slaves was due to a lack of external restraints. But again, there was no movement to create or enforce such external restraints. Almost as if, they acknowledged the problem, but felt no obligation to help deal with it themselves. Still, on some level, the men felt like it was their right to have power not only over “inferior beings” (the slaves) but also over women.
3. It is very well known that thousands, nay, millions of women in this country are condemned to the most menial drudgery, such as men would scorn to engage in, and that for one-fourth wages; that thousands of women toil at avocations which public opinion pretends to assign to men. They plough, harrow, reap, dig, make hay, rake, bind grain, thrash, chop wood, milk, churn, do anything that is hard work, physical labor, and who says any thing against it? But let one presume to use her mental powers--let her aspire to turn editor, public speaker, doctor, lawyer--take up any profession or avocation which is deemed honorable and requires talent, and O! bring the Cologne, get a cambric kerchief and a feather fan, unloose his corsets and take off his cravat! What a fainting fit Mr. Propriety has taken! Just to think that 'one of the deah creathures' [sic], the heavenly angels, should forsake the spheres--woman's sphere--to mix with the wicked strife of this wicked world – Jane Swisshelm
1. This article, written by Jane Swisshelm, basically makes fun of the societal view of women. Women were expected to engage in “menial drudgery” that no man would condescend to do at this time and additionally would have to complete all of the hard labor like digging, raking, milking, etc. And while they are permitting and entrusted with running the household/ farm, the men did not trust her at all to use her “mental powers” to become a doctor, speaker, editor, or lawyer. Most of this kind of thinking was due to tradition and an ancient sense of propriety, in which the woman’s sphere was only domestic. Swisshelm makes fun of the fact that “Mr. Propriety” would faint to hear of the women going out into the “wicked world” to use their mental capacity.