Women's Rights in Antebellum Society

Between 1820 and 1860, feminist reforms for women's rights formed and strengthened. As women were expected to be homemakers, the resentment against their limitations rose. Women began to feel that their social position was similar to that of slaves'. Reformers such as Catharine Beecher and Elizabeth Cady Stanton became the most prominent and outspoken members of their sex to rebel against their defined gender roles. The feminists' credo was "Men and women were created equal." In 1848, feminists convened in Seneca Falls, New York, to debate women's rights. At this meeting, the "Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions" was drafted. This document demanded complete social and political rights for females. The most important concern addressed was voting rights for women. Due to the early feminists' actions, the 1920 suffrage movement was powerful and successful.

However, the feminist reforms revealed a darker side of society. Despite the great strides women made during the 1840s, many people were overtly and immutably against their cause, particularly men. Before the feminist movement had even notably progressed, men rebuked women for their unseemly, "inappropriate" behavior, which crossed conventional lines. Furthermore, women initially had little voice in their cause since they were so stifled by men, who operated social forums and legislature. Overall, feminist reforms of the antebellum years produced few immediate results. This is primarily because slavery and abolition had become an imperative issue for the nation.