Jennifer Krafchik Interview
What is your work currently?
I am the Assistant Director/Director of Collections of the Sewall-Belmont House & Museum.
During your lifetime, how has the women’s rights movement evolved or developed? And since the Convention?
Since the convention, women’s rights in the United States and throughout the world have advanced in almost every way. However, while women have made great strides since the 19th Amendment was signed into law in 1920, the United States still has a long way to go to achieve full equality for women.
Women have more opportunities in every area since the convention and certainly, in the past century there are many examples of this on the federal level such as:
· passage of the 19th Amendment in 1920 giving women the right to vote
· Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 provided maximum hours and minimum wages in selected industries
· Equal Pay Act of 1963 required that men and women be paid the same amount of money for the same work performed
· Civil Rights Act of 1964--Title VII helped to create the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, making it illegal to deny employment on the basis of race, religion, country of origin, color—or sex.
· Title IX of the Higher Education Act provided federal funding for women’s sports programs in schools, creating an unprecedented shift in the educational and social experiences of women and girls.
This list is by no means exhaustive and doesn’t cover shifts in state and local laws but certainly gives you an idea of the changes that have occurred.
In your opinion, how has the Seneca Falls Convention impacted history?
More than three hundred women and men attended the first Women’s Rights Convention in Seneca Falls, New York. After two days of discussion, 68 women and 32 men signed the Declaration of Sentiments, making a public commitment to work together to improve women’s political, social, and economic status. Based on the Declaration of Independence, the Declaration of Sentiments framed a national discussion about women’s rights in America and marked the beginning of a massive civil rights movement that would span the next seventy years.
What further advances in women’s rights do you feel are needed? Are any necessary in America?
Women’s rights are an ongoing battle everywhere and not only do women have to fight for increased rights in almost every area, but they also have to fight for the rights that they already have. Things like equal pay and healthcare, the fact that women continue to comprise only 17% of Congress are all important issues that continue to be discussed, argued and fought for today. One of the most important issues that we discuss at Sewall-Belmont in both exhibits and programs is the negative public perception of women and women’s portrayal in the media.
How did you come to be in your line of work?
I have been with the museum since I was an intern in undergraduate school, for over ten years. Women’s history is a personal passion and I am very proud to work with one of the most intact women’s suffrage collections in the country. I have a bachelor’s degree in history and a master’s in library and information science.
What is your opinion on civil rights movements in general?
This is a difficult question to answer. The civil rights movement spans almost two centuries in this country and is ongoing. I would say that civil rights movements in general continue throughout the world and, in most cases, involve the rights of women. There will most likely never be total equality for any one group of people in this country or in any country but the important thing for most to remember and certainly something that we stress at Sewall-Belmont, is the importance of education on these issues. Keeping up with not only national but also state and local civil rights issues can make a world of difference because by doing so, educated voters will go to the polls on Election Day. Knowing who is representing you and what issues they are working for (or not working for) is critical at every level. The civil rights movement is not something that we can check the box for and say we are finished. If anything, the history of the National Woman’s Party really drives that point home. The NWP worked for the right to vote. When the right to vote was won in 1920, they turned their attention to the Equal Rights Amendment. The ERA has still not passed to this day but there are still women and men fighting both for and against it. Will it ever pass? We are not sure but until it does, there will be men and women working for it. When it does pass, it will be an ongoing effort to ensure that the rights guaranteed under it will be enforced and upheld.
What were the reactions that spurred from the Seneca Falls Convention (politically, from women, society, the press etc.)/ How did these figures react to the Convention?
While there was some positive attention paid in the press, for the most part it was the negative attention that took over. Within days, because of the negative attention from the press and the clergy, several people who had signed the Declaration of Sentiments asked that their names be removed. Most of the signers were dedicated to continuing the fight. Elizabeth Cady Stanton (similar to Alice Paul) saw all publicity, bad or good, as useful to the cause. “It will start women thinking, and men, too, and when men and women think about a new question, the first step is taken. The great fault of mankind is that it will not think.” (She made this statement to Lucretia Mott)
What resulted from all of the negative attention was an increased resolve to continue the discussion and the meetings and to continue to gather support to the women’s movement. Two weeks after Seneca Falls, a second women’s rights convention was held in Rochester. From there, meetings began to be held in Ohio, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania.
Were there any key figures that played major roles in the Women’s Rights Movements? If so, who and what did they contribute to the Movement?
There were so many great women who played major roles within the women’s rights movement from 1848 through 1920 and beyond. If I were to provide you with a list it would include names such as Lucretia Mott, Frederick Douglass, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, Sojourner Truth, Lucy Stone, Anna Howard Shaw, Ida B. Wells-Barnett, Carrie Chapman Catt, Alice Paul, Lucy Burns, Mary Church Terrell and so many more. All of the people listed were leaders for women’s rights and specifically women’s right to vote. I would actually encourage you to check out the book: Winning the Vote: The Triumph of the American Woman Suffrage Movement by Robert Cooney, Jr. if you can get your hands on it. It is a great illustrated resource that has small bios of many of the leaders of the suffrage movement as well as a lot of photographs and information that you would find useful.
I am the Assistant Director/Director of Collections of the Sewall-Belmont House & Museum.
During your lifetime, how has the women’s rights movement evolved or developed? And since the Convention?
Since the convention, women’s rights in the United States and throughout the world have advanced in almost every way. However, while women have made great strides since the 19th Amendment was signed into law in 1920, the United States still has a long way to go to achieve full equality for women.
Women have more opportunities in every area since the convention and certainly, in the past century there are many examples of this on the federal level such as:
· passage of the 19th Amendment in 1920 giving women the right to vote
· Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 provided maximum hours and minimum wages in selected industries
· Equal Pay Act of 1963 required that men and women be paid the same amount of money for the same work performed
· Civil Rights Act of 1964--Title VII helped to create the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, making it illegal to deny employment on the basis of race, religion, country of origin, color—or sex.
· Title IX of the Higher Education Act provided federal funding for women’s sports programs in schools, creating an unprecedented shift in the educational and social experiences of women and girls.
This list is by no means exhaustive and doesn’t cover shifts in state and local laws but certainly gives you an idea of the changes that have occurred.
In your opinion, how has the Seneca Falls Convention impacted history?
More than three hundred women and men attended the first Women’s Rights Convention in Seneca Falls, New York. After two days of discussion, 68 women and 32 men signed the Declaration of Sentiments, making a public commitment to work together to improve women’s political, social, and economic status. Based on the Declaration of Independence, the Declaration of Sentiments framed a national discussion about women’s rights in America and marked the beginning of a massive civil rights movement that would span the next seventy years.
What further advances in women’s rights do you feel are needed? Are any necessary in America?
Women’s rights are an ongoing battle everywhere and not only do women have to fight for increased rights in almost every area, but they also have to fight for the rights that they already have. Things like equal pay and healthcare, the fact that women continue to comprise only 17% of Congress are all important issues that continue to be discussed, argued and fought for today. One of the most important issues that we discuss at Sewall-Belmont in both exhibits and programs is the negative public perception of women and women’s portrayal in the media.
How did you come to be in your line of work?
I have been with the museum since I was an intern in undergraduate school, for over ten years. Women’s history is a personal passion and I am very proud to work with one of the most intact women’s suffrage collections in the country. I have a bachelor’s degree in history and a master’s in library and information science.
What is your opinion on civil rights movements in general?
This is a difficult question to answer. The civil rights movement spans almost two centuries in this country and is ongoing. I would say that civil rights movements in general continue throughout the world and, in most cases, involve the rights of women. There will most likely never be total equality for any one group of people in this country or in any country but the important thing for most to remember and certainly something that we stress at Sewall-Belmont, is the importance of education on these issues. Keeping up with not only national but also state and local civil rights issues can make a world of difference because by doing so, educated voters will go to the polls on Election Day. Knowing who is representing you and what issues they are working for (or not working for) is critical at every level. The civil rights movement is not something that we can check the box for and say we are finished. If anything, the history of the National Woman’s Party really drives that point home. The NWP worked for the right to vote. When the right to vote was won in 1920, they turned their attention to the Equal Rights Amendment. The ERA has still not passed to this day but there are still women and men fighting both for and against it. Will it ever pass? We are not sure but until it does, there will be men and women working for it. When it does pass, it will be an ongoing effort to ensure that the rights guaranteed under it will be enforced and upheld.
What were the reactions that spurred from the Seneca Falls Convention (politically, from women, society, the press etc.)/ How did these figures react to the Convention?
While there was some positive attention paid in the press, for the most part it was the negative attention that took over. Within days, because of the negative attention from the press and the clergy, several people who had signed the Declaration of Sentiments asked that their names be removed. Most of the signers were dedicated to continuing the fight. Elizabeth Cady Stanton (similar to Alice Paul) saw all publicity, bad or good, as useful to the cause. “It will start women thinking, and men, too, and when men and women think about a new question, the first step is taken. The great fault of mankind is that it will not think.” (She made this statement to Lucretia Mott)
What resulted from all of the negative attention was an increased resolve to continue the discussion and the meetings and to continue to gather support to the women’s movement. Two weeks after Seneca Falls, a second women’s rights convention was held in Rochester. From there, meetings began to be held in Ohio, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania.
Were there any key figures that played major roles in the Women’s Rights Movements? If so, who and what did they contribute to the Movement?
There were so many great women who played major roles within the women’s rights movement from 1848 through 1920 and beyond. If I were to provide you with a list it would include names such as Lucretia Mott, Frederick Douglass, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, Sojourner Truth, Lucy Stone, Anna Howard Shaw, Ida B. Wells-Barnett, Carrie Chapman Catt, Alice Paul, Lucy Burns, Mary Church Terrell and so many more. All of the people listed were leaders for women’s rights and specifically women’s right to vote. I would actually encourage you to check out the book: Winning the Vote: The Triumph of the American Woman Suffrage Movement by Robert Cooney, Jr. if you can get your hands on it. It is a great illustrated resource that has small bios of many of the leaders of the suffrage movement as well as a lot of photographs and information that you would find useful.