Join us July 19-21, 2024 as we comemmorate the 176th anniversary of the 1848 Women's Rights Convention!Revolutionary FamiliesWomen's Rights National Historical Park invites visitors for Convention Days 2024, to be held in Seneca Falls, July 19-21. Convention Days, long a signature event in Seneca Falls, commemorates the anniversary of the 1848 women’s rights convention, where 300 women and men joined together in asserting that “all men and women are created equal.” The convention was the first of its kind in the United States and gave rise to the American women’s rights movement. The theme of Convention Days 2024 is Revolutionary Families, which will focus on the shifting role of the family throughout American history. Convention Days will include family programming, as well as presentations by historians, park staff, and living history performers focusing on the topic of family. He has made her, morally, an irresponsible being, as she can commit many crimes, with impunity, provided they be done in the presence of her husband. In the covenant of marriage, she is compelled to promise obedience to her husband, he becoming, to all intents and purposes, her master - the law giving him power to deprive her of her liberty, and to administer chastisement. He has so framed the laws of divorce, as to what shall be the proper causes of divorce; in case of separation, to whom the guardianship of the children shall be given, as to be wholly regardless of the happiness of women - the law, in all cases, going upon the false supposition of the supremacy of man, and giving all power into his hands.
The Original Convention DaysThe 1848 Women's Rights ConventionFeatured ProgramsOpening the Doors: July 19, 1848Friday, July 19 at 11am, meeting in front of the Wesleyan ChapelWhen Elizabeth Cady Stanton arrived at the Wesleyan Chapel on the morning of July 19, 1848, she did not expect to face one final barrier to the convention: a locked door! "The eventful day dawned at last, and crowds in carriages and on foot, wended their way to the Wesleyan church. When those having charge of the Declaration, the resolutions, and several volumes of the Statutes of New York arrived on the scene, lo! the door was locked. However, [a young boy,] an embryo Professor of Yale College was lifted through an open window to unbar the door; that done, the church was quickly filled." -Elizabeth Cady Stanton, A History of Woman Suffrage
Join us as we reenact this moment, and the official opening of the Convention, exactly 176 years to the moment! This program will include a ranger orientation and a reading of the Declaration of Sentiments by Elizabeth Cady Stanton. Featuring Melinda Grube as Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Renee Noelle Felice as Lucretia Mott. Seneca Falls Heritage ExpressSunday, July 21, 11:00am in Academy Park (Park St, Seneca Falls)Join our friends at the Seneca Falls Historical Socety for a train ride through the historic area between Seneca Falls and Auburn, New York! Listen to the stories of the history that happened right here as you gaze out over the beautiful countryside of the Finger Lakes! Free, Reservation Required. Reservation Information. Rooted in Revolution: Quaker Families, Equal Rights, and the 1816 Farmington Quaker MeetinghouseSaturday, July 20, 11am in the Wesleyan ChapelJoin historians Judith Wellman and Dave Bruinix as they discuss the history of Quaker families and activism at the 1816 Farmington Quaker meetinghouse. Evolving Ideas of Family: Matilda Joslyn Gage & Lessons for R/evolutionary Change TodaySunday, July 21, 11am in the Visitor Center Guntzel Theater. Program ScheduleThe schedule of Convention Days programs will be updated regularly as it develops. Visit this page for programming updates. 9:30am-10:30am: Pen Pals for ChangeVisitor Center 10am-2pm: Sowing Seeds of Change craftVisitor Center 10am-10:45: Living History with Frederick DouglassElizabeth Cady Stanton House 11am-11:45: Opening the Doors: July 19, 1848Wesleyan ChapelJoin Elizabeth Cady Stanton (portrayed by Melinda Grube) and Lucretia Mott (portrayed by Renee Noelle Felice) as we open the Wesleyan Chapel 176 years to the moment that the 1848 convention began. 12pm-12:45: Living History with Lucretia MottM'Clintock HouseJoin Lucretia Mott (portrayed by Renee Noelle Felice) as she discusses her life and work. 12pm-2pm: Creating My Network with Leslie FordVisitor CenterJoin artist Leslie Ford for a look at her artwork on display in the Visitor Center, and create artwork of your own! 1pm-1:45: Revolutionary RootsWesleyan ChapelJoin a ranger for an overview of the 1848 women's rights convention. 1pm-3:00: 19th Century Yard GamesM'Clintock HouseGet outside for some 19th century family games! 1pm-3:00: "Strike Against Slave Labor"M'Clintock HouseThe M'Clintocks owned a general store in Waterloo, and supported the cause of abolition by refusing to sell goods produced by enslaved labor. Join Ranger Josh to learn about the items sold in the M'Clintocks' store! 2pm-4pm: Archeology in the ParkElizabeth Cady Stanton HouseStop by to learn about arceology with Ranger Kyle! Examine artifact fragments, match them with complete items, and learn a new way to look at historic homes! 2pm-4pm: Center of the Rebellion Open HouseElizabeth Cady Stanton HouseExplore the Stanton House at your own pace! 3pm-3:45: Revolutionary Roots with Lucretia Mott, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Frederick DouglassWesleyan ChapelJoin living historians portraying Mott, Stanton, and Douglass for a lively discussion about the 1848 women's rights convention. PLEASE NOTE: The Women's Rights NHP Visitor Center will be open for extended hours from 9am-6pm on Saturday.9:30am-10:30am: Pen Pals for ChangeVisitor Center 10am-2pm: Lucretia Mott's Rag RugsVisitor CenterJoin a ranger for a make-and-take activity, and learn about how women's rights leader Lucretia Mott used handicrafts to reflect her network of activist friends and family members. Use rags to make miniature "rugs" (which can double as coasters or potholders). 10am-10:45: Living History with Frederick Douglass and Elizabeth Cady StantonElizabeth Cady Stanton HouseJoin Frederick Douglass and Elizabeth Cady Stanton for a discussion about their work and friendship. 11am-11:45: "Rooted in Revolution:" Quaker Families, Equal Rights, and the 1816 Farmington Quaker MeetinghouseWesleyan ChapelHistorians Judith Wellman and Dave Bruinix discuss the 1816 Farmington Quaker meetinghouse. 12pm-12:45: Living History with Lucretia MottM'Clintock HouseJoin Lucretia Mott (portrayed by Renee Noelle Felice) as she discusses her life and work. 12pm-2pm: Creating My Network with Leslie FordVisitor CenterJoin artist Leslie Ford for a look at her artwork on display in the Visitor Center, and create artwork of your own! 1pm-2:30: 19th Century Yard GamesM'Clintock House and Elizabeth Cady Stanton HouseGet outside for some 19th century family games! 1pm-2:30: "Strike Against Slave Labor"M'Clintock HouseThe M'Clintocks owned a general store in Waterloo, and supported the cause of abolition by refusing to sell goods produced by enslaved labor. Join Ranger Josh to learn about the items sold in the M'Clintocks' store! 2pm-2:45: Living History with Elizabeth Cady StantonElizabeth Cady Stanton HouseJoin Elizabeth Cady Stanton (portrayed by Melinda Grube) for a discussion about her work and life in Seneca Falls. 2pm-2:45: Michelle SchenandoahWesleyan ChapelJoin historian Michelle Schenandoah for a presentation on Haudenosaunee women's history. 3pm-3:45: 19th Century Ladies' BaseballElizabeth Cady Stanton HouseLadies playing baseball in long skirts, aprons, and dresses on Elizabeth Cady Stanton's lawn? Huzzah! Genesee Country Village and Museum in Mumford NY brings us an interactive baseball game featuring period costumes, and 1866 rules (no gloves, catch on a bounce, no stealing bases). Here is your chance to have fun and maybe even see an outfielder catch a ball in her apron! 3pm-3:45: Living History with Frederick DouglassWesleyan ChapelJoin Frederick Douglass (portrayed by Nathan Richardson) for a discussion about his life and work. 4pm-4:45: Closing the Convention Real-Time ProgramWesleyan Chapel176 years from the day that the Declaration of Sentiments was read to a crowd of men and women in the Wesleyan Chapel, the resolutions resolved, and the signatures signed, join us to reenact history. Following a reading of the resolutions atached to the Declaration of Sentiments, we invite visitors to assist in reading the names of all 100 signers as we close out the convention anniversary. See a ranger at the Chapel to volunteer to read names! 10am-2pm: Sowing Seeds of Change craftVisitor Center 11am-12:30: Seneca Falls Heritage ExpressAcademy Park, Seneca Falls
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Last updated: July 18, 2024