[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 93 (Friday, June 27, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6762-S6763]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 35 URGING ISSUANCE OF A POSTAGE STAMP TO
COMMEMORATE THE 150TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE FIRST WOMEN'S RIGHT CONVENTION
Mr. MOYNIHAN (for himself and Mr. D'Amato) submitted the following
concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on
Governmental Affairs.
S. Con. Res. 35
Whereas 1998 marks the 150th anniversary of the first
Women's Rights Convention, which was held at the Wesleyan
Methodist Church in Seneca Falls, New York, on July 19 and
20, 1848;
Whereas the Women's Rights Convention was called to
consider ``the Social, Civil, and Religious Condition of
Women'';
Whereas the Women's Rights Convention is considered by many
historians to be one of the most important events in the
history of the women's movement in the United States;
Whereas the Convention participants issued a Declaration of
Sentiments which was modeled after the Declaration of
Independence;
Whereas the Declaration of Sentiments further included a
list of the ``injustices'' that were imposed on women over
the centuries, such as denying them the right to participate
in government, to retain their civil rights after marriage,
to own property, to keep their wages, to vote, and to pursue
a college education;
Whereas the Women's Rights Convention and the Declaration
of Sentiments was a vital early step toward reversing such
injustices;
Whereas the participants in the Women's Rights Convention
also played a prominent role in the movement to abolish
slavery;
Whereas commemorating this historic anniversary will
highlight the importance of continuing the struggle for equal
rights and opportunity for women in such areas as health
care, education, employment, and pay equity;
Whereas Congress recently honored Lucretia Mott and
Elizabeth Cady Stanton, the organizers of the Women's Rights
Convention, along with Susan B. Anthony, as revolutionary
leaders of the women's movement by placing a statue of them
in the Capitol Rotunda with statues of other revolutionary
leaders of our Nation's history such as George Washington,
Abraham Lincoln, and Martin Luther King, Jr.;
Whereas a portion of this statue purposefully was left
unfinished in 1921, the year following passage of the 19th
Amendment, which gave women the right to vote, to signify the
need to continue working for an Equal Rights Amendment, pay
and pension equity, and other women's rights;
Whereas, in light of the fact that commemorative stamps
have recently been issued to honor the marathon, the lunar
new year, and football coaches, honoring a historic
convention that led to many breakthroughs in the history of
the women's rights movement is highly appropriate;
Whereas honoring the first Women's Rights Convention is
educational, historically important, and of widespread
national appeal;
Whereas stamp issuance and stamp collecting teach children
about our Nation's history and our Nation's culture; and
Whereas in the history of the struggle for equality, the
significance of this event is immeasurable: Now, therefore,
be it
Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives
concurring), That--
(1) a postage stamp should be issued to commemorate the
150th anniversary of the first Women's Rights Convention; and
(2) the Citizen's Stamp Advisory Committee of the United
States Postal Service should recommend to the Postmaster
General that such a stamp be issued.
Mr. MOYNIHAN. Mr. President, I rise along with my friend and
colleague, Senator D'Amato, to submit a resolution that urges the
United States Postal Service to issue a commemorative postage stamp to
celebrate the 150th anniversary of the first Women's Rights Convention
held in Seneca Falls, NY. In 1980 I introduced legislation to
commemorate the idea of equal rights for women by creating the Women's
Rights National Historic Park in Seneca Falls. That is where the
Declaration of Sentiments was signed in 1848, stating that ``all men
and women are created equal'' and that women should have equal
political rights with men. From this beginning sprang the 19th
amendment and many other advances for women this century and last.
Western New York was home to an emerging reform movement during the
1830's and 1840's. Among reformers settling in Seneca Falls were Quaker
women such as Lucretia Mott who took an active role in the effort to
end slavery. For Mott, Martha Wright, Mary Ann M'Clintock, and
Elizabeth Cady Stanton, reform also included demanding rights for
women. In July 1848, they planned the convention and hammered out a
formal list of grievances based on the Declaration of Independence,
denouncing inequities in property rights, education, employment,
religion, marriage and family, and suffrage. On July 19, the
Declaration of Sentiments was presented before an audience of 300.
The Women's Rights Convention and the Declaration of Sentiments were
a vital early step toward reversing these injustices against women.
Many historians consider the convention to be one of the most important
events in the history of the women's movement in the United States.
The women of Seneca Falls challenged America to social revolution
with a list of demands that touched upon every aspect of life. Testing
different approaches, the early women's rights leaders came to view the
ballot as the best way to challenge the system, but they did not limit
their efforts to this one issue. Fifty years after
[[Page S6763]]
the convention, women could claim property rights, employment and
educational opportunities, divorce and child custody laws, and
increased social freedoms. By the early 20th century, a coalition of
suffragists, temperance groups, reform-minded politicians, and women's
social welfare organizations mustered a successful push for the vote.
Today Congress honors Lucretia Mott and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, along
with Susan B. Anthony, as revolutionary leaders of the women's movement
by placing a statue of them in the Capitol Rotunda next to statues of
other leaders in our Nation's history such as George Washington,
Abraham Lincoln, and Martin Luther King, Jr.
It is only fitting that a stamp be issued commemorating this historic
anniversary highlighting the importance of continuing this struggle for
equal rights and opportunity for women in areas such as health care,
education, employment, and pay equity.
Mr. D'AMATO. Mr. President, I rise today with my friend and
colleague, the senior Senator from New York, Senator Moynihan, to
submit concurrent resolution to commemorate the 150th anniversary of
the first Women's Rights Convention through the issuance of a U.S.
postage stamp.
American women in the middle part of the 19th century had few
distinguishable rights. They did not possess the right to vote,
participate in government and if married, were not allowed to own
property or keep wages if they worked outside of the home. In the
summer of 1848, a group of five women sought to change these
circumstances.
On July 19 and 20, 1848, 300 women and men converged on Wesleyan
Methodist Church in Seneca Falls, NY to consider ``the social, civil
and religious condition of women'' at that time. Led by Elizabeth Cady
Stanton, Lucretia Mott, Jane Hunt, Ann McClintock and Martha Wright, a
Declaration of Sentiments was presented to the audience which listed
among them ``all men and women are created equal'' and that ``women's
political equality with man is the legitimate outgrowth of the
fundamental principles of our government as set forth in the
Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.''
This historic Convention marked a turning point in the condition of
women in American society. The public airing of the Declaration of
Sentiments began a progressive pursuit of equality for women that has
endured to this day.
The issuance of this stamp will honor the courage that these early
leaders had in presenting their convictions and pursuing change for all
women. Through the issuance of a commemorative stamp, the commitment to
women's rights will be celebrated. I encourage my colleagues to join
Senator Moynihan and me by cosponsoring this measure.
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