"But it will be said that the husband provides for the wife, or in other words, he feeds, clothes, and shelters her! I wish I had the power to make every one before me fully realize the degradation contained in that idea. Yes! he keeps her, and so he does a favorite horse; by law they are both considered his property..."
~ Ernestine Rose, 1851
~ Ernestine Rose, 1851
Women's Lives Before the Convention
 Nineteenth-Century Brides |
Most women of the 19th century were legally domestic animals. Speaking in public places was forbidden. Education opportunities were limited, and opting for divorce was out of the question. Their available roles in life were strictly limited. |