The Declaration of Independence

The Declaration Of Independence

The Declaration of Independence was written to declare the 13 colonies' split from the British political system.

The Bill Of Rights in the Constitution

The bill of rights was added to the constitution to lay out the basic rights of each American citizen.

The authors of this document believed that the job of the government was to support the people of a nation.

The grievances in the Declaration are a list of things that the King of Britain did which the colonists believed to be unfair.

These grievances were used as justification for declaring independence

All men are created equal

To the authors this statement meant that all free white men, not woman, were equal.

Today this statement refers to every race and gender in America

Declaration of Sentiments

Grievances

Married women were legally dead in the eyes of the law

Women were not allowed to vote

Women had to submit to laws when they had no voice in their formation

Married women had no property rights

Husbands had legal power over and responsibility for their wives to the

extent that they could imprison or beat them with impunity

Divorce and child custody laws favored men, giving no rights to women

Women had to pay property taxes although they had no representation

in the levying of these taxes

Most occupations were closed to women and when women did work they

were paid only a fraction of what men earned

Women were not allowed to enter professions such as medicine or law

Women had no means to gain an education since no college or university

would accept women students

With only a few exceptions, women were not allowed to participate in

the affairs of the church

Women were robbed of their self-confidence and self-respect, and

were made totally dependent on men

Demands