Anniversary of the Seneca Falls Convention (1848)
The Seneca Falls Convention, considered the first women’s rights convention in the United States, was held on July 19–20, 1848. This year, 2025, marks the 177th anniversary of this historic event.
Organized by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott, along with several other women, the convention aimed to discuss the social, civil, and religious rights of women. It brought together approximately 300 attendees, including abolitionist Frederick Douglass, to advocate for women’s suffrage and other fundamental rights.
The highlight of the event was the creation and adoption of the Declaration of Sentiments, primarily drafted by Stanton and modeled after the Declaration of Independence. This document asserted the equality of men and women and outlined 11 resolutions demanding rights for women in areas such as voting, education, property ownership, and employment.
The resolution demanding women’s right to vote was the most controversial. Despite initial opposition, it ultimately passed thanks to the compelling arguments of Stanton and Douglass.
Impact on the Women's Rights Movement
The Seneca Falls Convention is widely recognized as a pivotal moment in the American women’s rights movement. It helped lay the groundwork for the eventual passage of the 19th Amendment in 1920, which granted women the right to vote.
Seventy-two years after Seneca Falls, the 19th Amendment was ratified by 36 states, making it unconstitutional for the United States or any state to deny the right to vote on the basis of sex. While this change granted white women the right to vote at local and national levels, it did little to enfranchise women of color.
Many states continued to bar Native Americans from voting until 1957. Latina, Black, and Asian American women faced voter suppression through literacy tests, poll taxes, and other discriminatory practices until the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which prohibited racial discrimination in voting.
In 1869, Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton founded a national suffrage organization. Their group was rivaled by another led by Lucy Stone. Both organizations were considered radical at the time for challenging the notion that women should remain second-class citizens. Over 20 years later, in 1890, the two groups merged to form the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA).
The Founding of the League of Women Voters
After the ratification of the 19th Amendment, Carrie Chapman Catt, then president of NAWSA, founded the League of Women Voters in 1920. The League was created to help newly enfranchised women understand and exercise their right to vote.
Today, the League of Women Voters continues this mission as a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to empowering voters and defending democracy, encouraging all eligible voters to participate in the political process.