Religion’s Place in the Suffragist Movement
Sojourner Truth, women’s rights activist and abolitionist, was a contemporary of
Elizabeth Cady Stanton, author of the Declaration of Sentiments, whom was also a well-known
social activist for the women’s movement and an abolitionist. Both women greatly influenced
the people of their generation and helped bring a change to the nation regarding their views on
human rights, for example bettering the livelihood of women.
After researching the lives of these two women, there were numerous, impressive
accomplishments that these two women achieved in spite of the opposition they faced living in
the 1800s. When reading about the lives of these two women, several similarities stood out. For
example, both of these women were contemporaries of each other, both living in the 1800’s.
They were devout Women’s Right’s Activists and Abolitionists born in the state of New York.
However despite all the similarities, there were various differences, the most prominent being
their race and social status. Truth was an African American woman born into slavery in New
York whereas Stanton was a white woman born into a prominent family in New York. Another
intriguing difference was that although Stanton was born into a Christian family, she lost her
faith organized Christianity and began relying solely on logic and common sense. On the other
hand, Truth had a life changing religious experience as an adult and became a devout Christian.
Both of these women’s religious beliefs can be seen when reading or hearing their works.
Truth’s speeches all have religious overtones, for example in “Ain’t I a Woman?” she remarks
how Jesus was born through God’s power and the use of a woman, and man had nothing to do
with it. Nell Painter, author of Sojourner Truth: A Life, A Symbol writes that, writes “Without a
doubt, it was Truth’s religious faith that transformed her from Isabella, domestic servant, into
Sojourner Truth, a hero for three centuries at least.”
Stanton herself had spoken out on how burdensome religion could be for some people. In
an interview to Free Thought Magazine Stanton said that “The Bible and the Church have been
the greatest stumbling blocks in the way of women's emancipation.” She considered religion to
be a hindrance and a crutch to those who justified letting a man take charge of a woman because
the Bible says that the man is the ruler of the home. Due to her radical views regarding religion
Stanton lost a lot of her followers to fellow suffragist, Susan B. Anthony. Along with Stanton’s
views on racial equality and women’s rights, Stanton also supported divorce rights, employment
rights, property rights for women, and inter-racial marriage. Both of these women greatly
affected the politics of their time and brought a revolution of change.