Writing Assignment for Seneca Falls and the Origins of the Women’s Rights Movement

The final writing assignment for HIST 1301 is a paper on the book, Seneca Falls and the Origins of the Women’s Rights Movement, by Sally G. McMillen. Dr. McMillen’s book takes a look at the 19^th century women’s rights movement and how four individuals were, according to her, critical to that movement. Historians often refer to this movement as the “First Women’s Rights Movement.” The second movement emerged during the late 1960s and into the 1970s. 

The women’s rights movement, for a historian, offers insights into legal, religious, and social restrictions placed on women and how they maneuvered in that world and often chafed against the restrictions. Lucretia Mott, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, and Lucy Stone were well-educated women, coming from rather interesting backgrounds, and they all played significant roles in pushing forward women’s rights in the 19^th century. Although the first suggestion that women secure voting rights occurred in the 1840s, none of the four women would survive to see women’s voting rights come to fruition in 1920. But their contributions to the endeavor formed the foundation of the women’s rights movement throughout the 19^th century and into the 20^th century

Paper requirements:

3-4 pages in length

Double-spaced

1-inch margins

No cover sheet required

Submitted as either a Word document or a PDF

Topics to address:

1. Prior to the Seneca Falls Convention in 1848, how did Dr. McMillen describe women’s social and legal status within the United States?

2. What skill/area of expertise did each of the four women bring to the struggle for increased women’s rights?

3. In what way were the four women’s lives similar? In what ways did they differ?

4. If you had to choose one of the four women as the most crucial to the expansion of women’s rights, who would you choose and why?

Remember to write an essay – not simply listing out a response to 1, 2, 3, and 4. Make sure to make a strong argument and support your argument with citations from the book. There should be a minimum of four (4) citations embedded within your paper. 

Assignment Due Date: Sunday, November 24, 2004