Women -- Suffrage -- History; Women -- Suffrage -- United States -- History; Women's rights -- History; Women's rights -- United States -- History
Mrs. Dall called the meeting to order, and introduced as its
president, Martha C. Wright, of Auburn, N. Y., in the absence of
Lucretia Mott, the president of the Association. Mrs. Wright made
some well-chosen introductory remarks; Miss Susan B. Anthony read
letters of friendly greeting from Frederick Douglass and William
Lloyd Garrison, and then a very admirable report was read by Mrs.
Dall, summing up the advance made in the woman's cause the past
year.... The freedom of the platform was an admirable feature of
this Convention. Early in the proceedings it was announced that
any member of the audience, male or female, was entitled to speak
on the topics under debate, and would be made welcome. Among
those who addressed the Convention were Parker Pillsbury, Henry
C. Wright, Aaron M. Powell, Dr. Sarah Young, Rev. Olympia Brown
(minister of a church at Weymouth), Susan B. Anthony, Stephen S.
Foster, Mr. Tooker, Ira Stewart, Charles C. Burleigh, Wendell
Phillips, Frances Ellen Harper, Anna E. Dickinson. The mention of
these names is enough to indicate that there was abundance of
good speaking. No time was lost, and the hours of three sessions
were pleasantly and profitably filled.
Mr. Pillsbury said the word "male," as a restriction upon the
action of women, is unknown to the Federal Constitution, as well
as the word "black," and that its introduction into that document
should be resisted in the most strenuous manner, since we can
never have a true democracy while the work of government is
monopolized by a privileged class.... Wendell Phillips, admitting
that the suffrage is the great question of the hour, thought,
nevertheless, that in view of the peculiar circumstances of the
negro's position, his claim to this right might fairly be
considered to have precedence.... This hour, then, is
preeminently the property of the negro. Nevertheless, said Mr.
Phillips, I willingly stand here to plead the woman's cause,
because the Republican party are seeking to carry their purpose
by newly introducing the word "male" into the Constitution. To
prevent such a corruption of the National Constitution, as well
as for the general welfare of the community, male and female, I
wish to excite interest everywhere in the maintenance of woman's
right to vote. This woman's meeting was well conducted, and met
with success in every way.....
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