Rhetoric in 19th Century Women's Suffrage Movement

Social movements aim for inclusion in a political process rather than a radical change in the nature of the political process.  They argue that principles of liberty should also apply to excluded members.  Social movements challenge the notion that there is a unified public sphere with a unified interest.  Members of social movements will point out that there are people who exist outside of the majority or most influential public sphere.  Although members want inclusion in a larger social sphere, they also value safe spaces to exchange ideas, make goals and prepare arguments.

We consider now the "Declaration of Sentiments", which imitates the genre of the American Declaration of Independence.  Perhaps we read it as a parody, which need not simply imply a criticism of the original text.  A parody can also   Dr. Jarratt notes that this text implies a critique of the original text but also preserves the serious tone and thus serves to legitimate the original text.  

"Sentiment" had a particular definition at the time.  It referred to a prevailing opinion.  The word is also associated with passion, conviction and action.  In the 18th century, this word was associated with having good taste.  Dr. Jarratt proposes that 19th century writers wanted to create a particular experience in the reader in order to motivate a social change.  Indeed, this seems to be the reason for appealing to the sentiments.

In the early days of the United States, women were excluded from the public sphere of life, including from most universities and colleges.  Only a few women did venture into the public sphere, such as Fanny Wright, who spoke out against slavery and advocated for education for women and slaves.  Such women were often the subject of ridicule.  Elizabeth Cady Stanton, the main author of the Declaration of Sentiments, was another woman who ventured into the public sphere.

What is the ethos of the Women's Suffrage Movement?  The women noted that they plunged into a large task without being quite prepared for it.  Long had they been familiar with establishing social bonds, but they were new to forging new political bonds.  They felt completely unable to manage such a task and so they turned to "masculine" texts such as the Declaration of Independence.  

In general, this is part of a trend of using the language of the Enlightenment, including appeal to natural law and the law of God.  In Resolution 1, they claim that it is a law of nature that all people can pursue happiness.  Resolution 3 is the claim that women and men are equal.  The structure is also comparable. Like the original Declaration, it starts with an introduction, continues on to principles and then introduces a list of injuries before listing what methods they intend to take to have their will met.

In terms of contrasting revolution and reform, the 1776 document wanted to dissolve bonds of government, whereas the 1848 document wanted to change the position of women within the given political system.  Instead of complaining about the tyranny of a king, the women complained about the tyranny of men.  They both wanted specific changes in laws, particular expansion of equality under the law.  Specifically, women complained about the "civil death" that a woman experiences when getting married.  This means that once married, a woman's public identity became subsumed by her role as a wife.

Dr. Jarratt notes that the ethos, or emotional character, for both documents is one of righteous indignation.  Both documents list wrongs that bind a group together in opposition to another group.  There is also a use of "we" throughout the text, which binds the writer to the audience.

One criticism of the Declaration of Sentiments would be that race and class considerations are entirely excluded.