The Impact Of Elizabeth Cady Stanton On Women's Suffrage

Elizabeth Cady Stanton is the first person thought of when people think of Women’s Suffrage. She and her friends were the ones who made Women’s Suffrage known to America. Throughout her life she had the chance to have seven children, and still get to work and fight for Women’s Suffrage. She started many organizations and really pushed to get Suffrage. If she didn’t Suffrage most likely wouldn’t of been amended in 1920. Elizabeth Cady was born in Johnstown, New York on November 12, 1815. Margaret Livingston Cady, her mother, was a threatening woman. In her church, she insisted that female parishioners be allowed to vote for a new minister. She also despite her husbands harsh resistance, later supported the abolition movement to end slavery,

Gerrit Smith, her cousin, always had abolitionists, important reformers, politicians, and even runaway slaves in his home. In Gerrit's home she heard many fascinating ideas, and activists eager to improve all conditions of American life. She got to participate in inspiring debates about the anti-slavery cause, temperance, and the movement to ban the consumption of alcohol. Aside from meeting famous reformers, Elizabeth met one other important person in Gerrit Smith’s home, her husband Henry Stanton. In october of 1839, she heard him lecture and was fascinated (25-26). Soon after meeting they went horseback riding and found a quiet pleasure in each others company. In her autobiography she said as they walked through the trees, he laid his hand on the horn of the saddle and, to my surprise,” he proposed (27). When her father found out about the proposal he didn’t consent. Her father didn’t like that Stanton wasn’t rich, also that he was an abolitionist. Stanton was no match for Elizabeth’s father, for in January or February of 1840 she broke off the engagement. Something changed her mind: Henry was about to sail to Europe for several months to attend the World Anti-Slavery Convention as a delegate of the newly formed American and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society. When Cady heard that he was leaving she insisted they get married behind her fathers back, and on May 1, 1840 they got married (28). She demanded that the reverend marrying them not use “obey” in the wedding vows, In her autobiography she said, “I obstinately refused to obey one with whom I supposed I was entering into an equal relation” (29). After they were married the two went to the World Anti-Slavery Convention together. As soon as Elizabeth got to the convention she quickly got busy with greeting the other female delegates (29). She instantly intrigued by Lucretia