“We hold these truths to be self-evident; that all men and women are created equal.” (Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Seneca Falls Declaration). Elizabeth Cady Stanton was a suffragist and feminist. She worked to achieve many goals so that women could have a say in a world where men ruled. She wrote the Declaration of Sentiments, a groundbreaking plea for women's rights. In a time when women had no rights, Stanton, along with her partner Susan B. Anthony, started movements to change women's lives for eternity. Elizabeth Cady Stanton was born on November 12, 1815 in Johnstown, New York. She was the daughter of Margaret Livingston and Daniel Cady, himself a lawyer and congressman. She was a ten year old daughter, but during her childhood she experienced difficulties losing her siblings. Four of his five brothers died during the early stages of their lives, and the fifth brother died after graduating from Union. The passing of his brother Eleazar profoundly affected his father's attitude because his family was centered on men. As she tried to console her father, he told her that he wished it were a boy. This small statement from her father led to her dedication to changing society's unreasonable treatment of women. She graduated from Emma Willard's Troy Female Seminar in 1832. While staying with her cousin, she encountered runaway slaves staying at her home. Visiting her cousin Gerrit Smith, a former reformer, led her to take part in the women's rights, abolitionist and temperance movements. This really sparked his resistant anti-slavery views. In 1840, Elizabeth Cady married a man named Henry Stanton. In their wedding, he omitted the word obey from the traditional ceremony. This allowed the marriage to begin... middle of paper... in politics, he also held the Church responsible. When a local church minister protested the Seneca Falls convention in 1848, he confidently disputed its interpretation that Christianity did not tolerate inequality. Elizabeth Cady Stanton's involvement in women's rights dramatically improved and intensified when she met Temperance Movement activist and friend of women's rights advocates, Susan B. Anthony. Despite difficulties in her personal life, Stanton relied on Anthony for his enthusiasm, mobility, and ability to build a women's rights movement. They made their first movement in 1852, when they banded together to aid Anthony's cause and oversaw the Women's New York State Temperance Society. Stanton was asked to leave due to his views on women's rights and the topic of divorce. Works Cited The Woman's Bible. Salem, NH: Ayer, 1986.