Susan B. Anthony, Declaration of the Rights of the Woman of the U.S. July 4, 1876

While the nation is full of patriotism and all hearts are tuned to praise, it is with sadness that we come to strike the only discordant note in this centenary of the birth of our country when the subjects of kings, emperors and tsars of the old world join our national jubilee. Will the women of the republic refuse to lay their hands with blessings on the head of the nation, contemplating the exhibition of the United States that surpasses in magnificence those of London, Paris, and Vienna? Shall we not rejoice in the success of the youngest rival among the nations of the earth?

Can't our hearts? In unison with all we are filled with pride in our great achievements as a people, our freedom of speech, freedom of the press, free schools, free church and the rapid progress we have made in the trade of material wealth, commerce and inventive arts, and we rejoice in the hitherto success of our experiment in self-government, our faith is firm and unwavering in the broad principles of human

rights

proclaimed in 1776 not only as abstract truths but as the cornerstones of a republic, but we cannot forget, even in this happy hour, that while all men of all races and rise and status have been invested with full

rights

of citizenship under our hospitable flag all women still suffer the degradation of disenfranchisement the history of our country over the last hundred years has been a series of assumptions and usurpations of power over women in direct opposition to the principles of just government recognized by the United States as its foundation since the beginning of the century, when Abigail Adams, wife of a president and mother of another, said that we will not force ourselves to obey laws in which we have no voice or representation until now.

Women's discontent has been steadily increasing and culminated almost 30 years ago in a simultaneous movement among the women of the nation who demanded the right to vote and made our just demands a higher motive than that inspired by the pride of sex. . We believe that national security and stability depend on the full recognition of the broad principles of our government, and now, at the end of one hundred years, when the hour hand of the great clock that marks the centuries points to

1876

, we declare our faith in the principles of self-government, our full equality with man. in natural rights that

woman

was made first for her own happiness with an absolute right to herself to all the opportunities and advantages that life offers her for her complete development and we deny that dogma of the centuries incorporated in the codes of all nations of that

woman

was made for man her best interest in all cases must be sacrificed to her will we ask of our rulers at this hour no special favors nor special privileges no special legislation we ask for justice we ask for equality we ask that all the civil and political rights that belong to the citizens of the United States are guaranteed to us and our daughters forever.