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The Marriage of Elizabeth Cady and Henry Brewster Stanton and the Devel UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA Los Angeles A Family Affair: The Marriage of Elizabeth Cady and Henry Brewster Stanton and the Development of Reform Politics A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy in History by Linda Christine Frank 2012 © Copyright by Linda Christine Frank 2012 ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION A Family Affair: The Marriage of Elizabeth Cady and Henry Brewster Stanton and the Development of Reform Politics by Linda Christine Frank Doctor of Philosophy in History University of California, Los Angeles, 2012 Professor Ellen C. DuBois, Chair Although devoted to insuring universal freedom and human rights for more than 60 years, Henry B. Stanton’s historical legacy and his many contributions to antebellum reform have been obscured and even vilified in the shadows of his famous wife, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and his oftentimes tactical opponent within abolition circles, William Lloyd Garrison. Frequently portrayed as the antagonist in his wife’s struggle for women’s rights, as a husband and a father Henry Stanton has become synonymous in the historical discourse with the very oppression his wife devoted her life to ending. Because of this, Elizabeth’s reformism is frequently depicted as having emerged from an imagined unhappy domestic life, rather than from an awareness of social and political inequalities. Elizabeth’s feminism is thus all too frequently explicitly or implicitly viewed as first a private and then a public rebellion. ii Through extensive primary source research, this dissertation seeks to redefine the pivotal moments in the Cady-Stanton marriage to better understand the many reasons, causes, and inspirations that led to Elizabeth Stanton’s leadership of the Seneca Falls Convention in particular and the woman suffrage movement in general. This study offers an analysis of Henry Stanton’s reform activities in the years prior to the 1848 Seneca Falls Convention, and establishes the centrality of Henry Stanton, his extended family, and the example he provided of a politically based reform agenda in the decades before 1848 to the story of his wife. iii The dissertation of Linda Christine Frank is approved. Michael Meranze Anne K. Mellor Ellen C. DuBois, Committee Chair University of California, Los Angeles 2012 iv Dedication To my parents, Pauline W. Niethamer and Edward R. Frank for making this possible and for never letting me give up; to my dear friend Harry Rice, whose pioneering work on Henry Stanton made my job easier and whose kindnesses sustained me in every imaginable way since this project began; to my son, Matthew Telesky, who makes everything worthwhile; and to Susanna Brewster Stanton for having lived so courageously, I dedicate this dissertation with love and gratitude. v Table of Contents Acknowledgements....................................................................................................................... vii Vita.................................................................................................................................................. x Introduction..................................................................................................................................... 1 Chapter One: A Tumultuous Beginning ...................................................................................... 20 Chapter Two: The “Infected” District.......................................................................................... 59 Chapter Three: In-Laws and Outliers .......................................................................................... 93 Chapter Four: How questions about women became the “woman question”............................. 125 Chapter Five: A Whole New World .......................................................................................... 158 Chapter Six: The Vote, the Vote, the Mighty Vote ................................................................... 193 Epilogue: Beyond Seneca Falls ................................................................................................. 231 Conclusion .................................................................................................................................. 243 Bibliography ............................................................................................................................... 246 vi Acknowledgements The financial support of the UCLA Graduate Division and the UCLA Department of History’s research, travel, summer mentorship and fellowship programs enabled me to travel to the many archives and repositories required for this work, while still keeping a roof over my head. The Price Visiting Research Fellowship from the University of Michigan gave me the luxury of time to consult the important collections of the William L. Clements Library. My committee chair, Ellen Carol DuBois, inspired my return to UCLA as an undergraduate, and she has shown me everyday since why returning to school was the best decision I have ever made. Not only has Ellen been incredibly generous with her time and knowledge, she modeled both scholarship and mentorship at every step of the way. As an intellectual mentor, Ellen allowed me the freedom to find my own way, pushed me when needed, and her unflagging support of my work has sustained me many times over the past several years. Every graduate student should be so lucky. This dissertation has also benefitted tremendously from the help of my other committee members, Kate Norberg, Michael Meranze, the late Barbara Packer and Anne K. Mellor. Kate Norberg taught me the fundamentals of social history, always had an open door and a timely joke, and she championed my funding application at a critical juncture. Michael Meranze’s insights concerning political history in the early national period, together with his suggestions for periodization of this dissertation were of immense value. The late Barbara Packer offered meaningful suggestions and encouragement in the early days of this project. Anne K. Mellor graciously joined my committee after this project was well underway, and has always given generously of her time and insight. I am also grateful for the help of other UCLA faculty vii members who have substantially contributed to my development as a historian. David D. Phillips inspired my appreciation for ancient history, and his mentorship of my undergraduate thesis underpinned my career as a graduate student. Jan Reiff supported this project from the beginning and fostered my interest in social history. Brenda Stevenson offered guidance early in my graduate studies and always had an open door throughout this project. This work would also not have been possible without the support, assistance and camaraderie of my cohort, the amazing Cohesivists. I owe a special debt of gratitude to the many librarians and archivists who always went the extra mile to insure my access to their holdings, despite my often very tight time constraints. The staff at the William L. Clements Library at the University of Michigan could not have been more gracious or helpful. The librarians at the Library of Congress and National Archives in Washington, D. C. worked tirelessly to make the most of my weeklong visit. I would especially like to thank the Boston Public Library Special Collections librarians for allowing me to condense a month long visit into four days. My visit to the BPL was made all the more meaningful by access to Elizabeth Cady Stanton’s commonplace book. The volume travelled with Stanton to the Troy Female Seminary and later to the World’s Antislavery Convention in London, and looking through her journal was the highlight of my research experience. The professionalism and friendship of Mary Huth, longtime librarian at the University of Rochester Special Collections, welcomed me into the Rochester women’s history network. The kindness of the staff and volunteers at the Susan B. Anthony House in Rochester are also much appreciated. The staff at Women’s Rights National Historical Park in Seneca Falls, in particular, Andrea DeKoter, Jamie Wolfe, John Stoudt, Dave Malone, Jessica Queener, Meghan Barbay made my tenure as a park guide an enriching and enjoyable experience. The Park’s cultural viii resources staff, Anne Derousie and Vivien Rose, gave generously of their time and resources. A special debt of gratitude is owed to the Rev. Lou Harper, former minister at the First Presbyterian Church of Griswold. Rev. Lou shared not only the church’s records and history, but his friendship and warmth were almost as inspirational as his devotion to all that is good in the world. Bonnie Linck and the entire staff of the Connecticut State Library, History and Genealogy Unit in Hartford graciously helped me search through several boxes of material one snowy Saturday before the library closed. Last, but certainly not least, I am grateful for the support of my friends Lisa Burks and Erika Lopez who listened tirelessly as this project took shape and whose love and support helped me finish. Harry Rice was always available as a friend, scholar and generally wonderful person. My mother and best friend, Pauline Frank, helped me in every way imaginable. This dissertation would not have been possible without the laughter, love and support of my partner, Charlie Eaton. I am forever grateful that I saw him across a crowded room so many years ago. ix VITA 2004 B.A., History University of California, Los Angeles Los Angeles, California 2006 M.A., History University of California,
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