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The protest of Harry Blackwell and Lucy Stone is in accord with woman rights and antislavery discourse; what it shares with 19th century woman rights movement is that they have common purpose of restoring the natural parity of men and women, so that every member of the society was not infringed with regard to their rights and freedoms, what it shares with the antislavery speeches is that it defends the rights of those who have been deprived of them for centuries. The common discourse did have its effect on the social system, and of course that protest contributed to it, defining the extent of the protest’s contribution to the good cause, however, is difficult to carry out.
The most eloquent passage of the protest in the last section must have produced its effect on the audience – “in most States, she neither has a legal part in the choice of her residence, nor can she make a will, nor sue or be sued in her own name, nor inherit property” (336). Her status turns out to be not so far from that of a slave, although she is formally recognized as a free person. The main advantage of this protest is that it puts forward clear, definite and unambiguous claims, the authors know what they want, and it is halfway to success. The protest speaks for the married women, so that the focus of its attention is also well defined.
It is symbolic that the protest was written by a couple, by the spouses who desire to reform the matrimonial legislation and want that both wife and husband feel comfort and protection of their rights and liberty. In their activity they could use many types of protest, organizing societies, try to find the politicians who could support their initiative, working out the programs for schools and universities, trying to find support among the religious ministers etc.
The theses announced by Blackwell and Stone are ever important and relevant at any time and place, and for modern couples as well. It calls on the legislators and spouses to guard the equality of each party in the marital affairs.buy research
7. In their petition, Stanton and Anthony point out at the fact that several states are “disfranchising” “some citizens on the ground of sex” (629), the women do not have their right to participate in elections, they cannot give their votes for the parties and politicians they support, and are thus deprived of their constitutional rights. They claim to represent 15 million persons that are “outside the pale of political recognition” (ibid). It is indeed too a big number for a country claiming to be governed by the principles of equality, liberty, freedom, inalienable rights and happiness of its citizens, many of which do not have their ballot.
The petitioners call on the Congress “to fulfil the constitutional obligation “to guarantee to every State in the Union a Republican form of Government.” The republican principle is thus not implemented to the full as not everybody has the possibility to go to the polls, and such a republic is deficient and suffers serious abuse and corruption.
Finally, they indicate that “partial application of Republican principles must ever breed a complicated legislation as well as a discontented people” (ibid.), so granting suffrage to all the adult people of the country will be beneficial both to the claimants, and officials. Satisfying their demand will harmonize the society and will bring good for the whole country. Such are the claims and their implications expressed by the suffragettes.
Stanton and Anthony are undoubtedly acting in the spirit of the Forefathers, of abolitionists, of reformers and other public figures who contributed to the welfare and equality of the United States.
8. Sojourner Truth delivered a speech before the American Equal Rights Association where she was revealing the tight link between racial and gender discrimination. The rights of women and slaves had been constantly infringed by their husbands and masters. But what can be said of the rights of black women! Their position was twice as miserable. Although, the slavery was already abolished at the time when the speech was pronounced, the black men received right to ballot, and exercise the basic rights of the American citizens, the females were not fully free.
Truth complains that she worked as much and as hard as men, but was paid much less; she “used to work in the field and bind grain, keeping up with the cradler; but men doing no more, got twice as much pay.” She says that having received their freedom, the “colored” men began to infringe the rights of the “colored” women, and thus turned into usurpers. Sojourn truth claims to defend the most unprotected category of society that is fully ignored by the dominant majority of officials.
“I have been forty years a slave and forty years free, and would be here forty years more to have equal rights for all,” declares Truth with optimism. She experienced many social roles and many social statuses, she has lived for a considerable period of time, so she has some very important and urgent experience to share with the audience.
Her optimism is grounded on the success of the previous struggles, for abolition of slavery, for endowing the black with the rights identical with those of the white. That task was fulfilled, so there is a hope that the women, especially the black ones will be equaled with the men. Sojourn Truth does not differentiate the issues of race and gender discrimination, for they are aspects of the same abuse and infringement – limiting the natural rights of the people.

Works cited
Reid, Ronald. F., and James F. Klumpp, eds. American Rhetorical Discourse. Long Grove, IL: Waveland Press, 2005.
“The Declaration of Independence.” Independence Hall Association in Philadelphia. Web.



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