Misplaced Pages

#888111

78-751: [REDACTED] Look up missus in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. Missus may signify The spoken pronunciation of Mrs. , often jocular or in dialect Missus dominicus , an "envoy of the lord" in Frankish court culture. See also [ edit ] [REDACTED] Search for "missus"  or "missuses" on Misplaced Pages. All pages with titles containing missuses All pages with titles containing missus Miss (disambiguation) Mister (disambiguation) MRS (disambiguation) MS (disambiguation) Topics referred to by

156-476: A boy and a white one for a girl. One of her daughters, Harriot Stanton Blatch , became, like her mother, a leader of the women's suffrage movement . Because of the spacing of their children's births, one historian has concluded that the Stantons must have used birth control methods. Stanton herself said her children were conceived by what she called "voluntary motherhood." In an era when it was commonly held that

234-585: A boy!" Stanton had many educational opportunities as a young child. Their neighbor, Reverend Simon Hosack, taught her Greek and mathematics. Edward Bayard, her brother-in-law and Eleazar's former classmate at Union College, taught her philosophy and horsemanship. Her father brought her law books to study so she could participate in debates with his law clerks at the dinner table. She wanted to go to college, but no colleges at that time accepted female students. Moreover, her father initially decided she did not need further education. He eventually agreed to enroll her in

312-399: A convention of both men and women. How, for example, might people react if a woman ruled a man out of order? Stanton herself spoke in opposition to the election of a woman as the chair of this convention, although she later acknowledged her mistake and apologized for her action. When the first National Women's Rights Convention was organized in 1850, Stanton was unable to attend because she

390-494: A delegate. Although Mott was much older than Stanton, they quickly bonded in an enduring friendship, with Stanton eagerly learning from the more experienced activist. While in London, Stanton heard Mott preach in a Unitarian chapel, the first time Stanton had heard a woman give a sermon or even speak in public. Stanton later gave credit to this convention for focusing her interests on women's rights. An accumulation of experiences

468-480: A group of men who financed John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry in an effort to spark an armed uprising of enslaved African Americans. At Smith's home, where she spent summers and was considered "part of the family," she met Henry Brewster Stanton , a prominent abolitionist agent. Despite her father's reservations, the couple married in 1840, omitting the word "obey" from the marriage ceremony. Stanton later wrote, "I obstinately refused to obey one with whom I supposed I

546-774: A large household, but she found herself unsatisfied and even depressed by the lack of intellectual companionship and stimulation in Seneca Falls. During the 1850s, Henry's work as a lawyer and politician kept him away from home for nearly 10 months out of every year. This frustrated Elizabeth when the children were small because it made it difficult for her to travel. The pattern continued in later years, with husband and wife living apart more often than together, maintaining separate households for several years. Their marriage, which lasted 47 years, ended with Henry Stanton's death in 1887. Both Henry and Elizabeth were staunch abolitionists, but Henry, like Elizabeth's father, disagreed with

624-617: A less civilized age. Elizabeth Cady was born into the leading family of Johnstown , New York. Their family mansion on the town's main square was handled by as many as twelve servants. Her conservative father, Daniel Cady , was one of the richest landowners in the state. A member of the Federalist Party , he was an attorney who served one term in the U.S. Congress and became a justice in the New York Supreme Court. Her mother, Margaret Cady ( née Livingston),

702-431: A letter by Stanton, who did not participate in person in a national convention until 1860. While visiting Seneca Falls in 1851, Susan B. Anthony was introduced to Stanton by Amelia Bloomer , a mutual friend and a supporter of women's rights. Anthony, who was five years younger than Stanton, came from a Quaker family that was active in reform movements. Anthony and Stanton soon became close friends and co-workers, forming

780-565: A married woman did use her husband’s last name but was still referred to as Miss ; see more at Ms. and Miss . It is now very uncommon for a woman to be addressed by her husband's first name; however, this still sometimes occurs if a couple is being addressed jointly, such as in Mr. and Mrs. John Smith . Many married women still use the title with their spouse's last name but retaining their first name (e.g., Mrs Jane Smith ). Other married women choose not to adopt their spouse's last name at all. It

858-523: A new style of dress to the upstate New York area. Unlike traditional floor-length dresses, it consisted of pantaloons worn under a knee-length dress. Amelia Bloomer , Stanton's friend and neighbor, publicized the attire in The Lily , a monthly magazine that she published. Thereafter it was popularly known as the "Bloomer" dress, or just " Bloomers ." It was soon adopted by many female reform activists despite harsh ridicule from traditionalists, who considered

SECTION 10

#1732783058889

936-411: A relationship that was a turning point in their lives and of great importance to the women's movement. The two women had complementary skills. Anthony excelled at organizing, while Stanton had an aptitude for intellectual matters and writing. Stanton later said, "In writing we did better work together than either could alone. While she is slow and analytical in composition, I am rapid and synthetic. I am

1014-467: A wife must submit to her husband's sexual demands, Stanton believed that women should have command over their sexual relationships and childbearing . She also said, however, that "a healthy woman has as much passion as a man." Stanton encouraged both her sons and daughters to pursue a broad range of interests, activities, and learning. She was remembered by her daughter Margaret as being "cheerful, sunny and indulgent." She enjoyed motherhood and running

1092-417: A woman as Ms. [Lastname] , regardless of her marital status. Elizabeth Cady Stanton Elizabeth Cady Stanton ( née Cady; November 12, 1815 – October 26, 1902) was an American writer and activist who was a leader of the women's rights movement in the U.S. during the mid- to late-19th century. She was the main force behind the 1848 Seneca Falls Convention , the first convention to be called for

1170-419: A women's rights issue because of laws that gave husbands complete control of the family and its finances. The law provided almost no recourse to a woman with a drunken husband, even if his condition left the family destitute and he was abusive to her and their children. If she managed to obtain a divorce, which was difficult to do, he could easily end up with sole guardianship of their children. In 1852, Anthony

1248-562: A women's temperance convention. Later that year, about five hundred women met in Rochester and created the Women's State Temperance Society, with Stanton as president and Anthony as state agent. This leadership arrangement, with Stanton in the public role as president and Anthony as the energetic force behind the scenes, was characteristic of the organizations they founded in later years. In her first public speech since 1848, Stanton delivered

1326-454: Is a commonly used plural for Miss . The plural of Mrs. is from the French : Mesdames . This may be used as is in written correspondence, or it may be abbreviated Mmes . Originally, Mrs was used with a woman's own first name and married surname. Abigail Adams , for example, was addressed as Mrs. Abigail Adams. In the 19th century, it became common to use the husband's first name instead of

1404-517: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Mrs. Mrs. originated as a contraction of the honorific Mistress (the feminine of Mister or Master ) which was originally applied to both married and unmarried women in the upper class. Writers who used Mrs for unmarried women include Daniel Defoe , Samuel Richardson , Henry Fielding , and Samuel Johnson . The split into Mrs for married women and Miss for unmarried began during

1482-504: Is generally considered polite to address a woman by Ms. rather than Mrs. , unless the preference of the woman in question is clearly-known. This is especially true in written communication, as dictated by professional etiquette. Modern etiquette provides various options in addressing married couples in which the wife uses her own last name, or uses a title such as Dr. , Mayor , or Ms. . Etiquette-writer Judith Martin ("Miss Manners") generally advises that, in non-standard situations,

1560-573: The American Equal Rights Association , which campaigned for equal rights for both African Americans and women, especially the right of suffrage. When the Fifteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was introduced that would provide suffrage for black men only, they opposed it, insisting that suffrage should be extended to all African Americans and all women at the same time. Others in the movement supported

1638-572: The Declaration of Sentiments of the Seneca Falls Convention Stanton was the primary author of the convention's Declaration of Rights and Sentiments , which was modeled on the U.S. Declaration of Independence . Its list of grievances included the wrongful denial of women's right to vote, signaling Stanton's intent to generate a discussion of women's suffrage at the convention. This was a highly controversial idea at

SECTION 20

#1732783058889

1716-512: The Finger Lakes region. Their house , which is now a part of the Women's Rights National Historical Park , was purchased for them by Elizabeth's father. The couple had seven children. At that time, child-bearing was considered to be a subject that should be handled with great delicacy. Stanton took a different approach, raising a flag in front of her house after giving birth, a red flag for

1794-520: The New York Tribune , a daily newspaper edited by Horace Greeley . The status of married women at that time was in part set by English common law which for centuries had set the doctrine of coverture in local courts. It held wives were under the protection and control of their husbands. In the words of William Blackstone 's 1769 book Commentaries on the Laws of England : "By marriage,

1872-691: The Troy Female Seminary in Troy, New York , which was founded and run by Emma Willard . In her memoirs, Stanton said that during her student days in Troy she was greatly disturbed by a six-week religious revival conducted by Charles Grandison Finney , an evangelical preacher and a central figure in the revivalist movement. His preaching, combined with the Calvinistic Presbyterianism of her childhood, terrified her with

1950-406: The white-collar workforce because it was difficult to change names and titles when they had already established a career. Women who became famous or well known in their professional circles before marriage often kept their birth names, stage names, or pen names. Miss became the appellation for celebrities (e.g., Miss Helen Hayes , or Miss Amelia Earhart ) but this also proved problematic, as when

2028-403: The 17th century, but was not reliable until well into the 19th century. It is rare for Mrs. to be written in a non-abbreviated form, and the unabbreviated word lacks a standard spelling. In literature it may appear as missus or missis in dialogue. A variant in the works of Thomas Hardy and others is "Mis'ess", reflecting its etymology . Misses has been used but is ambiguous, as this

2106-549: The Senate Judiciary Committee. This further brought women's suffrage and officeholding to the forefront of Congress's agenda, even though the New Departure agenda was ultimately rejected. The relationship was not without its strains, especially as Anthony could not match Stanton's charm and charisma. In 1871, Anthony said, "whoever goes into a parlor or before an audience with that woman does it at

2184-595: The Seneca Falls Convention, it strengthened the women's rights movement by increasing the ability of women to act independently. By weakening the traditional belief that husbands spoke for their wives, it assisted many of the reforms that Stanton championed, such as the right of women to speak in public and to vote. In 1853, Susan B. Anthony organized a petition campaign in New York state for an improved property rights law for married women. As part of

2262-472: The Stantons moved to Boston (Chelsea), Massachusetts, where Henry joined a law firm. While living in Boston, Elizabeth enjoyed the social, political, and intellectual stimulation that came with a constant round of abolitionist gatherings. Here, she was influenced by such people as Frederick Douglass , William Lloyd Garrison and Ralph Waldo Emerson . In 1847, the Stantons moved to Seneca Falls , New York, in

2340-747: The age of 15. The only girl in its advanced classes in mathematics and languages, she won second prize in the school's Greek competition and became a skilled debater. She enjoyed her years at the school and said she did not encounter any barriers there due to her gender. She was made sharply aware of society's low expectations for women when Eleazar, her last surviving brother, died at the age of 20 just after graduating from Union College in Schenectady, New York . Her father and mother were incapacitated by grief. The ten-year-old Stanton tried to comfort her father, saying she would try to be all her brother had been. Her father said, "Oh my daughter, I wish you were

2418-508: The amendment, resulting in a split. During the bitter arguments that led up to the split, Stanton sometimes expressed her ideas in elitist and racially condescending language. In her opposition to the voting rights of African Americans Stanton was quoted to have said, "It becomes a serious question whether we had better stand aside and let 'Sambo' walk into the kingdom first." Frederick Douglass , an abolitionist friend who had escaped from slavery, reproached her for such remarks. Stanton became

Missus - Misplaced Pages Continue

2496-596: The better writer, she the better critic." Anthony deferred to Stanton in many ways throughout their years of work together, not accepting an office in any organization that would place her above Stanton. In their letters, they referred to one another as "Susan" and "Mrs. Stanton." Because Stanton was homebound with seven children while Anthony was unmarried and free to travel, Anthony assisted Stanton by supervising her children while Stanton wrote. Among other things, this allowed Stanton to write speeches for Anthony to give. One of Anthony's biographers said, "Susan became one of

2574-417: The boys. Her mother, exhausted by giving birth to so many children and the anguish of seeing so many of them die, became withdrawn and depressed. Tryphena, the oldest daughter, together with her husband Edward Bayard, assumed much of the responsibility for raising the younger children. In her memoir, Eighty Years & More , Stanton said there were three African-American manservants in her household when she

2652-495: The common law. Some Southern states like Texas and Florida provided more equality for women. Across the country state legislatures were taking control away from common law traditions by passing legislation. In 1836, the New York legislature began considering a Married Women's Property Act , with women's rights advocate Ernestine Rose an early supporter who circulated petitions in its favor. Stanton's father supported this reform. Having no sons to pass his considerable wealth to, he

2730-432: The convention's keynote address, one that antagonized religious conservatives. She called for drunkenness to be legal grounds for divorce at a time when many conservatives opposed divorce for any reason. She appealed for wives of drunkard husbands to take control of their marital relations, saying, "Let no woman remain in relation of wife with the confirmed drunkard. Let no drunkard be the father of her children." She attacked

2808-412: The cost of a fearful overshadowing, a price which I have paid for the last ten years, and that cheerfully, because I felt that our cause was most profited by her being seen and heard, and my best work was making the way clear for her." Excessive consumption of alcohol was a severe social problem during this period, one that began to diminish only in the 1850s. Many activists considered temperance to be

2886-424: The family and was almost another mother to Mrs. Stanton's children." One of Stanton's biographers said, "Stanton provided the ideas, rhetoric, and strategy; Anthony delivered the speeches, circulated petitions, and rented the halls. Anthony prodded and Stanton produced." Stanton's husband said, "Susan stirred the puddings, Elizabeth stirred up Susan, and then Susan stirs up the world!" Stanton herself said, "I forged

2964-811: The first women's suffrage petition directed to Congress during the drafting of the Fourteenth Amendment. The women challenged the use of the word "male" in the version submitted to the States for ratification. When Congress failed to remove the language, Stanton announced her candidacy as the first woman to run for Congress in October 1866. She ran as an independent and secured only 24 votes, but her candidacy sparked conversations surrounding women's officeholding separate from suffrage. In December 1872, Stanton and Anthony each wrote New Departure memorials to Congress and were invited to read their memorials to

3042-579: The form Mrs. Miller Smith was sometimes used, with the birth surname in place of the first name. However, the form Mrs. Jane Miller eventually became widely-used for divorcées, even in formal correspondence; that is, Mrs. preceded the divorcée's maiden name. Before social mores relaxed to the point where single women with children were socially acceptable, the unwed mother was often advised by etiquette mavens like Emily Post to use Mrs. with her maiden name to avoid scrutiny. The separation of Miss and Mrs. became problematic as more women entered

3120-401: The husband and wife are one person in law: that is, the very being or legal existence of the woman is suspended during the marriage." The husband of a married woman became the owner of any property she brought into a marriage. She could not sign contracts, operate a business in her own name, or retain custody of their children in the event of a divorce. In practice some American courts followed

3198-576: The idea of female suffrage. One biographer described Henry as, "at best a halfhearted 'women's rights man.'" While on their honeymoon in England in 1840, the Stantons attended the World Anti-Slavery Convention in London. Elizabeth was appalled by the convention's male delegates, who voted to prevent women from participating even if they had been appointed as delegates of their respective abolitionist societies. The men required

Missus - Misplaced Pages Continue

3276-477: The idea of women wearing any sort of trousers as a threat to the social order. To Stanton, it solved the problem of climbing stairs with a baby in one hand, a candle in the other, and somehow also lifting the skirt of a long dress to avoid tripping. Stanton wore "Bloomers" for two years, abandoning the attire only after it became clear that the controversy it created was distracting people from the campaign for women's rights. Other women's rights activists eventually did

3354-410: The individuals be addressed on separate lines when writing invitations (e.g., "Dr. Sue Martin/Mr. John Martin"). In direct address, a woman with the title Mrs. may be addressed Mrs. [Lastname] , or with the stand-alone Madam or Ma'am , although the latter two are more-often used for any adult woman, regardless of marital status, in modern conversation. It is normally considered correct to address

3432-465: The legal status of woman and slaves, saying, "The prejudice against color, of which we hear so much, is no stronger than that against sex. It is produced by the same cause, and manifested very much in the same way. The negro's skin and the woman's sex are both prima facie evidence that they were intended to be in subjection to the white Saxon man." The legislature passed the improved law in 1860. In 1851, Elizabeth Smith Miller , Stanton's cousin, brought

3510-525: The married title as the default for all women in professional usage. This had long been followed in the United Kingdom for some high-ranking household staff, such as housekeepers, cooks, and nannies , who were called Mrs. as a mark of respect regardless of marital status. In the United Kingdom, the traditional form for a divorcée was Mrs Jane Smith . In the U.S., the divorcée originally retained her full married name unless she remarried. Later,

3588-474: The ninth, which read, "it is the duty of the women of this country to secure to themselves the sacred right of the elective franchise." Following a vigorous debate, this resolution was adopted only after Frederick Douglass , an abolitionist leader who had formerly been enslaved, gave it his strong support. Stanton's sister Harriet attended the convention and signed its Declaration of Sentiments. Her husband, however, made her remove her signature. Although this

3666-543: The organization's increasingly tight focus on women's right to vote. Stanton was the primary author of the first three volumes of the History of Woman Suffrage , a massive effort to record the history of the movement, focusing largely on her wing of it. She was also the primary author of The Woman's Bible , a critical examination of the Bible that is based on the premise that its attitude toward women reflects prejudice from

3744-572: The possibility of her own damnation : "Fear of judgment seized my soul. Visions of the lost haunted my dreams. Mental anguish prostrated my health." Stanton credited her father and brother-in-law with convincing her to disregard Finney's warnings. She said they took her on a six-week trip to Niagara Falls during which she read works of rational philosophers who restored her reason and sense of balance. Lori D. Ginzberg, one of Stanton's biographers, says there are problems with this story. For one thing, Finney did not preach for six weeks in Troy while Stanton

3822-563: The presentation of these petitions to the legislature, Stanton spoke in 1854 to a joint session of the Judiciary Committee, arguing that voting rights were needed to enable women to protect their newly won property rights. In 1860, Stanton spoke again to the Judiciary Committee, this time before a large audience in the assembly chamber, arguing that women's suffrage was the only real protection for married women, their children and their material assets. She pointed to similarities in

3900-609: The president of the National Woman Suffrage Association , which she and Anthony created to represent their wing of the movement. When the split was healed more than twenty years later, Stanton became the first president of the united organization, the National American Woman Suffrage Association . This was largely an honorary position; Stanton continued to work on a wide range of women's rights issues despite

3978-402: The problem was the title Mrs or the husband's first name or the husband's surname. In several languages, the title for married women such as Madame , Señora , Signora , or Frau , is the direct feminine equivalent of the title used for men; the title for unmarried women is a diminutive: Mademoiselle , Señorita , Signorina , or Fräulein . For this reason, usage had shifted toward using

SECTION 50

#1732783058889

4056-484: The proposal. An estimated 300 women and men attended the two-day Seneca Falls Convention . In her first address to a large audience, Stanton explained the purpose of the gathering and the importance of women's rights. Following a speech by Mott, Stanton read the Declaration of Sentiments, which the attendees were invited to sign. Next came the resolutions, all of which the convention adopted unanimously except for

4134-400: The religious establishment, calling for women to donate their money to the poor instead of to the "education of young men for the ministry, for the building up a theological aristocracy and gorgeous temples to the unknown God." At the organization's convention the following year, conservatives voted Stanton out as president, whereupon she and Anthony resigned from the organization. Temperance

4212-408: The same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Missus . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Missus&oldid=888283522 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description

4290-536: The same. Stanton had already antagonized traditionalists in 1852 at the women's temperance convention by advocating a woman's right to divorce a drunken husband. In an hour-long speech at the Tenth National Women's Rights Convention in 1860, she went further, generating a heated debate that took up an entire session. She cited tragic examples of unhealthy marriages, suggesting that some marriages amounted to "legalized prostitution." She challenged both

4368-461: The sentimental and the religious views of marriage, defining marriage as a civil contract subject to the same restrictions of any other contract. If a marriage did not produce the expected happiness, she said, then it would be a duty to end it. Strong opposition to her speech was voiced in the ensuing discussion. Abolitionist leader Wendell Phillips , arguing that divorce was not a women's rights issue because it affected both women and men equally, said

4446-414: The sole purpose of discussing women's rights, and was the primary author of its Declaration of Sentiments . Her demand for women's right to vote generated a controversy at the convention but quickly became a central tenet of the women's movement. She was also active in other social reform activities, especially abolitionism . In 1851, she met Susan B. Anthony and formed a decades-long partnership that

4524-432: The subject was out of order and tried unsuccessfully to have it removed from the record. In later years on the lecture circuit, Stanton's speech on divorce was one of her most popular, drawing audiences of up to 1200 people. In an 1890 essay entitled "Divorce versus Domestic Warfare," Stanton opposed calls by some women activists for stricter divorce laws, saying, "The rapidly increasing number of divorces, far from showing

4602-640: The thunderbolts, she fired them." By 1854, Anthony and Stanton "had perfected a collaboration that made the New York State movement the most sophisticated in the country," according to Ann D. Gordon , a professor of women's history. After the Stantons moved from Seneca Falls to New York City in 1861, a room was set aside for Anthony in every house they lived in. One of Stanton's biographers estimated that, over her lifetime, Stanton spent more time with Anthony than with any other adult, including her own husband. In December 1865, Stanton and Anthony submitted

4680-595: The time but not an entirely new one. Her cousin Gerrit Smith , no stranger to radical ideas himself, had called for women's suffrage shortly before at the Liberty League convention in Buffalo. When Henry Stanton saw the inclusion of women's suffrage in the document, he told his wife that she was acting in a way that would turn the proceedings into a farce. Lucretia Mott, the main speaker, was also disturbed by

4758-443: The wife's. Jane Austen gave some of the earliest examples of that form when she wrote of Mrs. John Dashwood. By the early 20th century, that usage was standard, and the forms Mrs Jane Smith , Mrs Miller (wife of John Smith), or Mrs Miller-Smith were considered incorrect by many etiquette writers. Many feminists (such as Elizabeth Cady Stanton , Lucy Stone , and Charlotte Perkins Gilman ) objected, but they disagreed on whether

SECTION 60

#1732783058889

4836-413: The women to sit in a separate section, hidden by curtains from the convention's proceedings. William Lloyd Garrison , a prominent American abolitionist and supporter of women's rights who arrived after the vote had been taken, refused to sit with the men and sat with the women instead. Lucretia Mott , a Quaker minister, abolitionist and women's rights advocate, was one of the women who had been sent as

4914-540: The women's rights movement around the country in 1848 and into the future," according to Judith Wellman, a historian of the convention. The convention initiated the use of women's rights conventions as organizing tools for the early women's movement. By the time of the second National Women's Rights Convention in 1851, the demand for women's right to vote had become a central tenet of the United States women's rights movement . A Rochester Women's Rights Convention

4992-461: The wrongs of society in general, and of women in particular." This knowledge, however, did not immediately lead to action. Relatively isolated from other social reformers and fully occupied with household duties, she was at a loss as to how she could engage in social reform. In the summer of 1848, Lucretia Mott traveled from Pennsylvania to attend a Quaker meeting near the Stanton's home. Stanton

5070-532: Was a local convention organized on short notice, its controversial nature ensured that it was widely noted in the press, with articles appearing in newspapers in New York City, Philadelphia and many other places. The Seneca Falls Convention is now recognized as an historic event, the first convention to be called for the purpose of discussing women's rights. The convention's Declaration of Sentiments became "the single most important factor in spreading news of

5148-489: Was crucial to the development of the women's rights movement. During the American Civil War , they established the Women's Loyal National League to campaign for the abolition of slavery, and they led it in the largest petition drive in U.S. history up to that time. They started a newspaper called The Revolution in 1868 to work for women's rights. After the war, Stanton and Anthony were the main organizers of

5226-540: Was elected as a delegate to the New York state temperance convention. When she tried to participate in the discussion, the chairman stopped her, saying that women delegates were there only to listen and learn. Years later, Anthony observed, "No advanced step taken by women has been so bitterly contested as that of speaking in public. For nothing which they have attempted, not even to secure the suffrage, have they been so abused, condemned and antagonized." Anthony and other women walked out and announced their intention to organize

5304-596: Was entering into an equal relation." While uncommon, this practice was not unheard of; Quakers had been omitting "obey" from the marriage ceremony for some time. Stanton took her husband's surname as part of her own, signing herself Elizabeth Cady Stanton or E. Cady Stanton, but not Mrs. Henry B. Stanton. Soon after returning from their European honeymoon, the Stantons moved into the Cady household in Johnstown. Henry Stanton studied law under his father-in-law until 1843, when

5382-445: Was faced with the prospect of having it eventually pass to the control of his daughters' husbands. Stanton circulated petitions and lobbied legislators in favor of the proposed law as early as 1843. The law eventually passed in 1848 . It allowed a married woman to retain the property that she possessed before the marriage or acquired during the marriage, and it protected her property from her husband's creditors. Enacted shortly before

5460-437: Was having an effect on Stanton. The London convention had been a turning point in her life. Her study of law books had convinced her that legal changes were necessary to overcome gender inequities. She had personal experience of the stultifying role of women as wives and housekeepers. She said, "the wearied, anxious look of the majority of women, impressed me with a strong feeling that some active measures should be taken to remedy

5538-464: Was held in Rochester, New York two weeks later, organized by local women who had attended the one in Seneca Falls. Both Stanton and Mott spoke at this convention. The convention in Seneca Falls had been chaired by James Mott , the husband of Lucretia Mott. The Rochester convention was chaired by a woman, Abigail Bush , another historic first. Many people were disturbed by the idea of a woman chairing

5616-406: Was invited to visit with Mott and three other progressive Quaker women. Finding herself in sympathetic company, Stanton said she poured out her "long-accumulating discontent, with such vehemence and indignation that I stirred myself, as well as the rest of the party, to do and dare anything." The gathered women agreed to organize a women's rights convention in Seneca Falls a few days later, while Mott

5694-472: Was more progressive, supporting the radical Garrisonian wing of the abolitionist movement and signing a petition for women's suffrage in 1867. She was described, at least earlier in her life, as "[n]early six feet tall, strong willed and self-reliant, ... She was the only person in the household not in awe of her husband who was 12 years her senior." Elizabeth was the seventh of eleven children, six of whom died before reaching full adulthood, including all of

5772-446: Was not a significant reform activity for Stanton afterwards, although she continued to use local temperance societies in the early 1850s as conduits for advocating women's rights. She regularly wrote articles for The Lily , a monthly temperance newspaper that she helped transform into one that reported news of the women's rights movement. She also wrote for The Una , a women's rights periodical edited by Paulina Wright Davis , and for

5850-402: Was pregnant. Instead, she sent a letter to the convention entitled "Should women hold office" that outlined the movement's goals. The letter emphatically endorsed women's right to hold office, stating that "women might have a 'purifying, elevating, softening influence' on the 'political experiment of our Republic.'” Thereafter it became a tradition to open national women's rights conventions with

5928-413: Was still in the area. The history of mankind is a history of repeated injuries and usurpation on the part of man toward woman, having in direct object the establishment of an absolute tyranny over her… He has not ever permitted her to exercise her inalienable right to the elective franchise. He has compelled her to submit to laws, in the formation of which she had no voice. Elizabeth Cady Stanton ,

6006-417: Was there. Ginzberg suspects that Stanton embellished a childhood memory to underline her belief that women harm themselves by falling under the spell of religion. As a young woman, Stanton traveled often to the home of her cousin, Gerrit Smith , who also lived in upstate New York. His views were very different from those of her conservative father. Smith was an abolitionist and a member of the " Secret Six ,"

6084-552: Was young. Researchers have determined that one of them, Peter Teabout, was a slave and probably remained so until all enslaved people in New York state were freed on July 4, 1827. Stanton recalled him fondly, saying that she and her sisters attended the Episcopal church with Teabout and sat with him in the back of the church rather than in front with the white families. Stanton received a better education than most women of her era. She attended Johnstown Academy in her hometown until

#888111