Remembering: 1848 Women's Rights Convention @ Seneca Falls

Frederick Douglass

Today, July 20, marks Day 2 of the 1848 Women's Rights Convention held in the Wesleyan Chapel in Seneca Falls, NY. On that day, the Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions were read and a vote called. All Resolutions were agreed upon with one exception.

All of the resolutions were passed unanimously except for woman suffrage... The eloquent Frederick Douglass, a former slave and now editor of the Rochester North Star, however, swayed the gathering into agreeing to the resolution. ~Smithsonian Institute National Portrait Gallery

FrederickDouglass, the only African American at the meeting, stood and spoke eloquently in favor; he said that he could not accept the right to vote himself as a black man if woman could not also claim that right. ~Wikipedia  

Thank you, Mr. Douglass for taking your stand 15 years before the Emancipation Proclamation was formalluissued by President Lincoln in January 1, 1863.

While 300 men and women attended the Convention, 100 signed the Declaration of Sentiments. The signatures were signed in two groups according to gender:

68 women signed below this statement:
Firmly relying upon the final triumph of the Right and the True, we do this day affix our signatures to this declaration.

32 men signed below:
...the gentlemen present in favor of this new movement

For a record of the Convention proceedings see the minutes of the Convention printed by Mr. Dick in the Douglass print shop in Rochester, NY.

After Seneca Falls, the women's movement picked up steam.

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Fast-forward 72 years to 1920
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The Nineteenth Amendment (Amendment XIX) to the United States Constitution ratified on August 18, 1920 states:

The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.
Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.

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Fast-forward 49 years to 1969
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Mary Baker Eddy

In 1969 the residents of Seneca Falls created the National Women's Hall of Fame to honor the contributions of American women.

One inductee of special interest to me is Mary Baker Eddy (1821-1910). She was inducted in 1995, 120 years after publishing her seminal work, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures. In addition to her healing work and writing what has been of direct benefit to me, she founded the Church of Christ, Scientist and the Christian Science Monitor international newspaper now published as a print weekly and daily online edition.

Eddy's spiritual view of mankind did not allow for slavery in any form. No true abolitionist leaves a neighbor enslaved. Daily she proved this by adamantly challenging false beliefs about man made in the image and likeness of God and watching the Truth set her neighbor free. 

Mrs. Eddy was not a public figure when Fredrick Douglass rejected the enslavement of women and the women's suffrage resolution was passed. That was about 18 years before Eddy was healed of a mortal injury by applying the Principle she discovered in the teachings of Christ Jesus and named, Christian Science. Nonetheless, Douglas and others of 1848 helped prepare a nation's thought to receive this woman's healing understanding: Love is reflected in love and The enslavement of man is not legitimate.

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Fast-forward 42 years to 2011
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Happy July 20, 2011! Today we continue to reap the harvest sown by two early abolitionists, Douglass and Eddy.

Truth makes man free. You may know when first Truth leads by the fewness and faithfulness of its followers. Thus it is that the march of time bears onward freedom's banner. The powers of this world will fight, and will command their sentinels not to let truth pass the guard until it subscribes to their systems; but Science, heeding not the pointed bayonet, marches on. There is always some tumult, but there is a rallying to truth's standard. ...Legally to abolish unpaid servitude in the United States was hard; but the abolition of mental slavery is a more difficult task. …Men and women of all climes and races are still in bondage to material sense, ignorant how to obtain their freedom. ...Citizens of the world, accept the "glorious liberty of the children of God," and be free! This is your divine right. ~Mary Baker Eddy in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures

While some of our neighbors bow to the false belief that oppressing a neighbor is legitimate, they are, in reality, slaves. They are as enslaved as those they oppress. One believes oppression is their key to freedom and the other believes slavery has no key to freedom.

Not accepting either beliefs, abolitionists have the privilege of awakening the enslaved and enslaving to the Truth. There is only the man God made in His image. There is one man made in the likeness of our Father-Mother God. And freedom is that man's true state.

+Carolyn St.Charles

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Post:  http://goo.gl/MjpyP

Author:  +Carolyn St.Charles

Douglass image:  http://goo.gl/wJ90T

Douglass website:  http://goo.gl/HdLeU

Eddy image:  http://goo.gl/7nhRe

Eddy website:  http://goo.gl/PXn65

Seneca Falls:  http://goo.gl/iO6Se

International Day for Abolition of Slavery:  http://goo.gl/HO8es

Hashtags:

#abolition  #slavery  #trafficking  #disease  #FrederickDouglass #MaryBakerEddy  #SenecaFalls #WomensRightsConvention  #freedom  #Health  #ScienceandHealth


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