Elizabeth Cady Stanton House Photograph courtesy of Women's Rights National Historical Park. Elizabeth Cady Stanton and her daughter Harriot Photograph courtesy of the Library of Congress, LC-USZ62-48965 DC. 10 Elizabeth Cady Stanton (1815-1902), reformer, suffragist Elizabeth Cady Stanton, one of the women's rights movement's most important figures, asserted that her experiences in this Seneca Falls house induced her to become an advocate of women's rights. Elizabeth Cady married Henry Brewster Stanton, a lawyer and abolitionist, in 1840. For several years after their marriage, the Stantons resided in Boston, where Elizabeth--surrounded by "enlightened" friends and domestic servants--remained removed from most household duties. In 1847, the Stantons moved to Seneca Falls. Charged with putting their new home in order, Elizabeth found herself engulfed by the requirements of three small children and a large house. She soon became aware of the inequality of expectations that existed between men and women in 19th century America, writing, "I now fully understood the practical difficulties most women had to contend with . . . and the impossibility of woman's best development if in contact, the chief part of her life, with servants and children." Such realizations resulted in Cady Stanton's part in writing the Declaration of Sentiments and in organizing the Women's Rights Convention of 1848. After the convention, Cady Stanton and other key reformers concentrated on abolishing slavery, but when it became clear after the Civil War that the 14th and 15th Amendments would grant African-American males full citizenship, but not white women, Cady Stanton and fellow feminists broke with their abolitionist allies. In 1869, Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony formed the National Women's Suffrage Association, and for the next 20 years, they spoke to and inspired suffrage societies all over America. In 1890, Cady Stanton was elected president of the new National American Woman Suffrage Association. Elizabeth Cady Stanton died in 1902. Now a part of the Women's Rights National Historic Park, her home documents her amazing life. The Elizabeth Cady Stanton House is located at 32 Washington St. in Seneca Falls, NY, and is part of the Women's Rights National Historical Park. It is open to the public 9am-5pm daily. Ranger guided tours are available. Call 315-568-2991 or click here for more information. Home |List of Sites | Main Map | Seneca Falls & Waterloo | Next Site

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Last Modified: Monday, 30-Mar-98 15:42:58EST