SACRAMENTO – Assemblymember Diane Dixon (R-Newport Beach) recognizes July 19th and 20th as the 175th Anniversary of the first Seneca Falls Women’s Rights Convention with the passage of House Resolution 49.
“I am honored to author a Resolution commemorating this event of historical significance,” said Dixon. “There is still work to be done, but we have come far. This year, there are a record number of women serving in State Legislatures across the nation. According to Politico, approximately one third of all state legislators are women.”
In California, 50 women make up 42% of state lawmakers – a record. This wouldn’t be possible without the Seneca Falls Women’s Rights Convention. Originally known as the Women’s Rights Convention, it was the first of its kind in the United States to fight for the social, civil and religious rights of women. It was held in Wesleyan Chapel in Seneca Falls, New York on July 19 and 20, 1848.
The convention drafted the Declaration of Sentiments, a document modeled after the Declaration of Independence and called for women’s equality in politics, family, education, employment and religion. In addition to the declaration, a list of 11 resolutions were presented outlining ways in which women should be treated equally. These resolutions directly called out discriminatory laws that placed women in an inferior position to men as having “no force or authority.”
The ninth of the 11 resolutions called directly for women to “secure themselves their sacred right to the elective franchise,” or to demand the right to vote. This resolution became the cornerstone for the women’s suffrage movement for the next 72 years, until the ratification of the 19th Amendment in 1920. The Seneca Falls Women’s Right Convention was organized by Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucretia Mott, Mary M’Clintock, Martha Coffin Wright and Jane Hunt. Together, these women began the fight for equality and should be remembered for doing so.
“It is an honor and privilege to serve the people of California and represent the voices in my District,” said Dixon, “I am fortunate to be one of 120 legislators that create policy for California. We share a passion to make life better for all Californians and the communities we serve.”