What is the Declaration of Sentiments?

At the Seneca Falls Convention on women's rights in 1848, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and other participants authored and signed a "Declaration of Rights and Sentiments." In modeling their document on the Declaration of Independence, the Seneca Falls participants connected their cause to the same foundation of human rights on which American democracy rests.

A side-by-side comparison of the Declaration of Independence and Declaration of Sentiments reveals the many parallels, and helps make the claim of inclusive citizenship for women, "self evident." Below you'll find transcripts of each document, side by side for ready comparison. The infographic below that eck out the documents below and take a look at our infographic to see the purpose drafting the Declaration of Sentiments like the Declaration of Independence served.

Check out this infographic that compares the different sections of the Declaration of Independence and the Declaration of Sentiments. For a more in-depth analysis, check out Linda Kerber's article "From the Declaration of Independence to the Declaration of Sentiments: The Legal Status of Women in the Early Republic 1776-1848" published in the journal, Human Rights.