Ethos in Declaration of Sentiments

In an exact reiteration of the Declaration of Independence, Stanton appeals to her audience’s sense of logos or reason by providing “facts” in the following section. By submitting her facts to the “candid world,” Stanton suggests that her audience is impartial and unbiased, having never witnessed such an unprecedented moment in the history of women’s rights.

Used in both declarations, the noun “prudence” means caution or the quality of having good sense in practical affairs. In both documents, the word is used to claim that governments should not be changed for inconsequential reasons; instead they should be changed only when faced with “a long train of abuses and usurpations.” Through diction, Jefferson was able to demonstrate that Revolution was viable. Stanton does the same, claiming that it is prudent and reasonable for women to resist oppression any further.

The mirroring structure Stanton employs continues throughout the course of this entire paragraph, again nearly a word-for-word reproduction of Jefferson’s founding text. However, Stanton subverts the original by adding modifications and implementing slight but significant subsitutons. Now, the meaning of her words take on an added layer of complexity. For example, in the opening line—originally “We hold these truths to be self-evident; that all men are created equal”—Stanton adds the word “women.” Through this augmentation, Stanton demonstrates the failure of the Declaration of Independence to include women and thus integrates them into her own declaration. In addition, the original wording about “colonies,” “the present King of Great Britain,” or “these States,” is replaced with the phrases “women under this government,” “mankind,” and “on the part of man toward woman.” Stanton reroutes the original document to fit her purposes and in doing so highlights the failures of the nation to include women at its founding.

The ending clauses of this introductory paragraph nearly exactly mirrors the Declaration of Independence, which states that “the laws of nature and of nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes that impel them to the separation.” By alluding to one of the nation’s most important founding doctrines and creating a parallel between these two documents nearly word-for-word, Stanton asserts her declaration’s validity as a critical revolutionary document for women’s rights. The audience of women at the convention would immediately recognize the parallel Stanton draws and identify her words as ones of utmost importance.

Stanton was a rebellious intellectual, passionate suffragist, and practiced orator who understood the power of language to appeal to her audience. In a brilliant rhetorical move, Stanton establishes her credibility and appeals to the ethos of her audience by mirroring the structure and diction of the “Declaration of Sentiments” to those of the United States Declaration of Independence. Adopted by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, the Declaration of Independence announced the impetus for the American Revolution. By mirroring the document that delineated all the grievances of British rule and established autonomy for the thirteen colonies, Stanton makes a strong claim about women’s rights: that women—like the thirteen colonies almost seventy-five years prior—have long suffered grievances at the hands of an oppressive force, namely American patriarchal society and strict doctrines of marriage. Straightaway, Stanton asserts her authority, mirroring the opening lines of the Declaration of Independence by stating “When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary…” However, the phrasing and meaning of the declaration diverge when Stanton lays out her thesis, claiming that one “portion” of society has been usurped by another.