Elizabeth Cady Stanton and The Building Blocks of Women's Voting Rights

Back in the 1800s, Elizabeth Cady Stanton rolled up her sleeves—long before Rosie the Riveter became an iconic poster! Stanton, born in New York City on November 12, 1815, put essential building blocks in place for women to gain the right to vote.

Stanton was an influential architect in the women's suffrage movement in the US. She was particularly concerned about an important piece missing from democracy's block set — women's voting rights.

Back in the 1800s, society expected women to be little more than decorative blocks—pretty but with no real civic purpose. But Stanton? She didn't want her blocks to sit on a shelf. She was more like, "Nope. I'm going to use my blocks to build a better society!"

But it wasn't smooth stacking! In the 1800s, the mere idea of women voting was shocking.

Stanton courted the controversy. She wanted to make sure women's voices were louder than the clatter and cacophony of knocking over a tall tower of blocks. Stanton knew the only way to build something lasting was to make some noise!

So Stanton and her friends got together in 1848 for a gathering called the Seneca Falls Convention. Hundreds of men and women attended. This may not sound like a lot, but at the time, it was a monumental event that changed the course of history! Stanton authored and presented the Declaration of Sentiments, which said, "All men and women are created equal."

The Declaration of Sentiments laid the cornerstone for women's voting rights. The first formal demand for women to have the right to vote in the US came out of the Seneca Falls Convention. Talk about building a legacy!

But women didn't get to vote right away. The fight for women's voting rights went on for over a hundred years. In 1920, the 19th Amendment was passed. This made it legal for white women to vote.

However, it wasn't until the 1965 Voting Rights Act that all US women, regardless of race, could vote. The Voting Rights Act remains a significant milestone in the fight for equality.

It's a bit like finding a missing block. Once you put a missing piece into place, you can begin to build a stronger society.

The next time you stack blocks or line up letters, think of Elizabeth Cady Stanton. She died before she ever got a chance to vote. But as one of the Women Who Dared, she worked to make the world a better place. Stanton wasn't afraid to knock things over, make some noise, and build something that would stand the test of time.