LAD #11

The Seneca Falls Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions

The women start by explaining that when a group feels entitled to a different role in society than they already possess it is their duty to explain the reasons for this change.  They go on to declare that all men AND WOMEN are created equal and add to that many of their unalienable rights.  Next they explain the ways that men have exercised unfair control over women with a list.

Women have...

• had no say in elections
• had to submit to laws they had no say in
• been withheld rights that even the most ignorant men have enjoyed
• had no representation and have been oppressed
• lost all civil dignity in marriage
• had no right to property
• been treated as if their husband is their master
• in divorce lost their children because of male supremacy
• if single, been forced to pay taxes to a government that does not recognize them
• been deprived of honorable and profitable careers
• been denied sufficient schooling
• been subordinate even in the church
• had to abide to a different set of morals from men
• been subject to men's control even when this control should come from God
• been destroyed in terms of confidence and respect by men

So the women resolve these problems with the following statements.

• Laws that put women in a position inferior to men have no authority
• God created women as equals to men and that shall be recognized
• Women should take charge of their own roles in the country
• Women should be recognized as morally superior and should have the right to preach
• The virtues and morals expected of women should also be expected of men
• It is the women's duty to secure themselves the right to vote
• Women and men will work together to secure rights for women

Therefore, since women were created with the same capabilities as man, they should enjoy the same rights and treatments as men.