Political Thought of Elizabeth Cady Stanton

Sue Davis is Professor of Political Science at the University of Delaware. She is the author of American Political Thought: Four Hundred Years of Ideas and Ideologies, Understanding the Constitution, and Justice Rehnquist and the Constitution.

Davis does a brilliant job of analyzing (while not excusing) the political tacticsand often, political Machiavelliismthat the early feminist employed during her long, active life. (Feminist Review) Davis's monograph is a valuable resource not only for scholars across the humanities...but also for those who wish to better understand American political culture and the history of ideas. - Kristan Poirot (Rhetoric & Public Affairs) Davis admirably succeeds in this book that integrates the conceptual and political legacy of Elizabeth Cady Stanton with current scholarship on heritage of the American liberal state. A must-read for students of American political development, womens rights, and legal theory. - Eileen McDonagh,author of Breaking the Abortion Deadlock Elizabeth Cady Stanton was open to any idea she encounteredold or new, conventional or innovatedexcept male supremacy. Daviss admirable book shows that this great feminists adaptability was both her best and worst characteristic. - Judith Baer,author of Our Lives before the Law: Constructing a Feminist Jurisprudence Scholars of American political thought have often failed to appreciate the significance of Elizabeth Cady Stanton. Scholars of Cady Stanton have often not been deeply immersed in broader studies of American political thought. Daviss outstanding book rectifies both these deficiencies in ways that will have enduring value. - Rogers M. Smith,author of Stories of Peoplehood: The Politics and Morals of Political Membership In this thoroughly researched, well-written, and engaging study, Davis reveals how Cady Stanton drew upon liberalism, republicanism, ascriptive forms of Americanism, and radicalism in advancing the cause of women's rights. Daviss historical institutionalist approach to the topic is most suited for demonstrating not only the way in which Cady Stanton, as a political actor, adjusted her arguments because of strategic consideration of the way they were received, but also the normative theoretical commitments that shaped the thinking of Cady Stanton as a political philosopher. The book is a must read for scholars of the history of political thought, feminist theory, and women's studies who wish to understand the full significance of Cady Stantons intellectual and political legacy for American political thought. . . . Highly recommended. (Choice) A convincing case for Stanton's significance as a central figure in the American political tradition. (Women's Review of Books)

• Acknowledgments 1 Elizabeth Cady Stanton and the Multiple Traditions 2 Seneca Falls and Beyond: Attacking the Cult of Domesticity with Equality and Inalienable Rights3 The 1850s: Married Women's Property Rights, Divorce, and Temperance 4 Gatherings of Unsexed Women: Separate Spheres and Women's Rights 5 The Civil War Years: Breaking Down Boundaries Between Public and Private6 The Postwar Years: Reconstruction and Positivism7 The Postwar Years: The New Departure, the Alliance with Labor, and the Critique of Marriage8 Not the Word of God But the Work of Men: Cady Stanton's Critique of Religion 9 "In the Long Weary March, Each One Walks Alone": Evolution and Anglo-Saxonism at Century's End 10 Multiple Feminisms and Multiple Traditions: Elizabeth Cady Stanton in American Political Thought Notes Bibliography Index About the Author