Stanton Is an Ideal Citizen
Over the past week and a half, we have learned about many different powerful people and what moral dilemmas they have encountered and tried to over come. Out of Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Socrates, Henry David Thoreau, and Arjuna, I believe Cady Stanton is the best citizen because she was the initiator of the first organized womans rights and womans suffrage movements in the United States, which is very brave and inspirational.
Elizabeth Cady Stanton was an American social activist and was the leading figure of the early womans movement. Stantons moral dilemma was with her State and why women were not given the same rights as men. Stanton was a great citizen in which she followed the laws, but did not agree with the Fourteenth and Fifteenth amendments, so she fought for what she thought was right for her and women everywhere. Stanton was involved in her political views with many other people including her husband, Henry Stanton, her cousin, Gerrit Stanton, and friend, Susan B. Anthony. Stanton was the one who addressed her concerns with womans rights, such as voting, custody, property, education, employment, income, divorce and birth control rights. Both Stanton and Anthony declined to support the pass of the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments of the United States Constitution. Stanton stated that “all laws which prevent woman from occupying such a station in society as her conscience shall dictate, or which place her in a position inferior to that of man, are contrary o the great precept of nature and, therefore, of no force or authority. This is a very powerful statement to me; this is saying that Stanton disagrees that men who hold no value to society such as “lazy lowlife” men, black or white, should not be held to a higher standard than women. Also we, as women, should not be viewed as second-class citizens to these “inferior” men just because we are women. In 1848 in Seneca Falls, over 300 people attended the first womens rights convention. Here, Stanton read her “Declaration of Sentiments”, which was a play on the United States “Declaration of Independence”. Stanton chose this document because every year the Declaration of Independence was read word for word, therefore, everyone would be well aware of her changes. The biggest gasp in the crowd happened when she read “all men and women are created equal.” Stantons actions were very brave in my eyes. Because of her, I am allowed to be treated equally to men, receive the best of the best education, the right to vote and voice my opinion. I believe everyone can learn from Stanton in which she found out her passion, organized it, and went after it to change what she thought was wrong. Her actions bettered the life of all American women forever. This is what I feel a good citizen should do; (follow the law up until one finds unjust,) find a way to correct it, do research and get followers