On this day in 1902, social/political activist and proto-feminist Elizabeth Cady Stanton died at the age of 86, after living a life of achievements, which included developing the first-ever women’s rights and women’s suffrage movements in the U.S.
In 1848, Stanton and other women gathered in Seneca Falls, New York, where they organized the first women’s rights convention. Beyond fighting for women’s right to vote, Stanton also advocated gender-neutral divorce laws, enhanced economic opportunities for women, and the right of women to serve on juries.
Stanton also inadverdantly provided a sharp critique of religion for her time, believing that organized Christianity relegated women to an inferior position in society. She expounded upon this idea in her book The Woman’s Bible, which explored religious scripture from the perspective of early feminism.
Stanton died of heart failure in her home, nearly two decades before women would actually be given the right to vote.
Photo: Elizabeth Stanton and daughter Harriot. Wikipedia
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