Elizabeth Cady Stanton was born on November 12, 1815 in Johnstown, New York. Stanton was the eighth child of ten children to Supreme Court judge Daniel Cady and homemaker Maragret Livingston. Her father grieved in her childhood years as five of her brothers died in their childhood years.Stanton’s only brother who made it to young adulthood, Eleazar was described as intellectual and should carry on the families legacy. Stanton told her father she would “ ‘will try to be all my brother was,” which shows how she wants to carry on her families legacy and wants to make a difference to the world. There was not a lot of options for education in the 1830s, as men usually went to school and women stayed home with housework. However, Stanton ended up attending Johnston Academy and graduated from Emma Willard's Troy Female Seminary in 1832. While studying, Stanton learned discriminatory laws of the way women lived. She was determined for women to have equal rights. Elizabeth was involved in the abolitionists movements, where she met her husband, Henry Brewer Stanton. The two married in 1840 where Stanton asked that the word “obey” would be dropped for the ceremony. The two would later have seven children.

Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott first met up in 1840 at the World Anti Slavery Convention. The upcoming arrival of the convention, Stanton and Mott discovered that they were not allowed to participate in the proceedings of the convention because of their gender. This event concluded Stanton and Mott should hold the Seneca Falls Convention On the first day of the convention, only women were allowed to attend. The second day allowed men to attend as well. The second day consisted of the convention passing twelve resolutions, where most were designed to gain certain rights for women.  Some of these resolutions include, Equality of Women’s Rights, The Right to Vote, and Double Standard of Public Speaking. During the meeting, Stanton introduced the Declaration of Sentiments. The Declaration of Sentiments expanded on the Declaration of Independence by adding the word “women” throughout the book. It was used to show women’s struggles and declares that, “all men and women are created equal.”  The Sentiments was a powerful publication showing how women should be equal to men. Sixty-eight women and thirty-two men ended up signing the Declaration of Sentiments, which included Lucretia Mott and Frederick Douglass. This document sparked the beginnings of the women’s suffrage movement.  

Elizabeth introduced the women’s suffrage movement. Beginning in 1851, Stanton started working with Susan B. Anthony. This event has led to 50 years of friendship and worked together in multiple events such as collaborating on speeches, articles, and books. They wrote documents together such as Amelia Blommer’s, Paulina Wright Davis’s Una, and Horace Greeley’s New York Tribune. In 1852, Stanton formed the Women’s State Temperance Society. This society was used to talk about the terrible effects of alcoholism on families, and how women should be able to be independent.Stanton served as the president of the society. However the society was short-lived as Stanton resigned in 1854. In 1854, Stanton was offered a once in a lifetime opportunity; she was invited to address the New York Legislature. Stanton’s speech resulted in  new legislation in 1860, which granted married women the rights to their wages and equal guardianship to their children. With the help of Susan B. Anthony, Stanton also formed the National Women’s Suffrage Association (NWSA). Stanton believed that the fifteenth amendment, in which African American men were granted the right to vote was unfair and women should be included as well. The NWSA started a newspaper, The Revolution, which lasted from January 1868 to February of 1872. These articles focused on women’s right to vote, equal pay, and marriage and divorce rights.  The Revolution’s motto was: “Justice, not Favors.—Men, their Rights and Nothing More; Women, their Rights and Nothing Less.” The group wanted an amendment that guaranteed women’s right to vote. The NWSA ended in 1890 and merged with the American Woman Suffrage Society (AWSA). Elizabeth’s help in the women’s suffrage movement led to advances in women’s history such as women’s right on their wages, and women’s right to vote years after her death. 

Stanton was not just a supporter to the women's suffrage movement, but to the abolitionist movement as well. In 1840, Elizabeth attended the Anti Slavery Convention where she and other females were denied official recognition because of their gender. In 1863, Stanton established the Women’s National Loyal League, which was a campaign to completely abolish slavery. This league organized the largest petition drive in the United States during that time period. Participants were able to collect over 400,000 signatures. Stanton wrote a writing on the abolitionist movement as well called “The Slave’s Appeal” in 1860. This writing focused on emancipation and arguing against slavery. Although Elizabeth made contributions to the abolitionist movement, she faced criticism for being racist. Stanton was supportive of the Thirteenth Amendment which freed the slaves, but she opposed the ratification of the Fourteenth Amendment, causing the abolitionist movement to reject her. She also stated several racist claims such as women needed to protect themselves from black men, that women who were white and educated were more deserving of a vote than former slaves, and women were better at ensuring the nation’s safety. Stanton betrayed the abolitionists movement which caused abolitionists to not help her in the women’s suffrage movement. Her claims made her not liked by the abolitionists movement. 

In Elizabeth’s final years, she continued to advocate for women’s rights. In 1862, Elizabeth and her family moved to New York city, where she continued to work for women’s rights in the US and abroad. Elizabeth believed that the movement should focus on girls' sports property rights, equal wages, divorce and custody law reform, and religious reform. In the 1880s, Stanton focused on writing more than speaking and lecturing. Stanton wrote three volumes of the History of Women Suffrage with Anthony and Matilda Joslyn Gage. Stanton also wrote the controversial Women’s Bible, where she rewrote passages of the bible that stated women are naturally supposed to obey and be beneath them. Stanton expressed her resentment that immigrants had more rights than educated white women, and later advocated for literary tests so that “chiefly agitators” would not have access to voting. Stanton also recorded memories in an autobiography, Eighty Years or More, which gives memories and accomplishments in her life. Elizabeth died in October 1902 in New York City.

Stanton's newspaper which announced her death in 1902.

Elizabeth Cady Stanton dedicated her life to fighting for women’s suffrage and equality. She played a major role in the women’s suffrage movement with the Seneca Falls Convention, The New York legislature, which granted married women the rights to their wages, and equal guardianship to their children. Stanton was active in many clubs as well such as the National women’s suffrage association. She also had a role in the abolitionist movement as she held a campaign against slavery. Stanton established how women were treated through writings and speeches. Elizabeth’s contributions have had a huge role in the Women’s Suffrage movement and helped with women’s rights. Today, the government has granted women have the right to vote, work, and receive an education because of Stanton’s contributions to the women’s suffrage movement.