How did lawmakers in New York State help advance the cause of woman's rights

The fight for women’s rights began in New York State. In Waterloo, on July 13, 1848, a tea party at the home of activist Jane Hunt became the catalyst for the women’s rights movement. Jane Hunt’s guests were Lucretia Mott, Martha Wright, Mary Ann McClintock and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. As the women drank their tea, they discussed the misfortunes imposed upon females – not having voting rights, not being able to own property, few social and intellectual outlets – and decided that they wanted change. By the end of the gathering, the five women organized the first women’s rights convention set for Seneca Falls, NY, and wrote a notice for the Seneca County Courier that invited all women to attend the influential event.

Seneca Falls
Six days later, on July 19, 1848, people crowded into the Wesleyan Chapel in Seneca Falls, NY. These participants partook in the two-day historic event that catapulted the women’s rights movement into a national battle for equality.

Although the convention was supposed to only have women, men were not turned away. As a result, 42 men were part of the 300-member assembly. James Mott, an advocate for women’s rights and the husband of one of the day’s speakers, Lucretia Mott, even chaired the event.

On that first day, in addition to Lucretia Mott’s speech, Elizabeth Cady Stanton read her Declaration of Sentiments, symbolically modeled after the Declaration of Independence: