Just weeks before the dissolution of Roe v. Wade, a writer visits New Yorks Finger Lakes to reflect on how far the nation has comeand how far it has to go.
When you travel around New York States Finger Lakes region, you are frequently reminded of the areas foundational role in the history of womens rights. For every single scenic lakeside vista, there are multiple intellectually scenic places related to secular saints of American activism.
But maybe the thought-consuming nature of the areas human rights heritage isnt that surprising. After all, settings are times as well as places, and Im visiting the Finger Lakes at the time of the Supreme Courts hearings on the constitutionality of Roe v. Wade. Im also traveling with two members of my family who are lifelong, steadfast feminists. They come by that designation honestlyboth work (and excel) in fields within medicine that were extremely male-dominated when they entered the workforce in the 1960s and 80s, respectively.
To be fair, the Finger Lakes make an effort to distract us from thoughts of politics. Situated in the western portion of upstate New York, dozens of vineyards stretch down to the shores of the lakes that give the region its name. Members of the Amish community guide horse-drawn buggies through hamlets with classical names like Hector, Ovid, and Romulus. Driving past the many waterside wheatfields feels like immersing oneself in a living, breathing painting from theHudson River School. And yet, despite everything just mentioned, its the regions rich human rights history that makes it a truly unique destination.
The modern womens rights movement began humbly in a rather large church in the rather small town of Seneca Falls, New York. Although Seneca Falls was an important(-ish) transport hub in its day, it wasnt an obvious site for a radical social movement. The towns eventual importance can ultimately be attributed to the work of activist Elizabeth Cady Stanton, whose frequent hangouts in Seneca Falls now form the core ofWomens Rights National Historic Park. It was here that, in 1848, Stanton and others (most notably, Lucretia Mott andFrederick Douglass) participated in the Seneca Falls Convention, the first-ever convention for womens rights.
The Wesleyan chapel that housed the conventions meetings, along with a (wonderful) visitor center, comprise the heart of the national historic park. The daily lectures delivered in the chapel are especially informativeits like watching aMasterClass in human rights history. The conventions most enduring output was its Declaration of Sentiments, a persuasive call to action primarily written by Stanton (and heavily inspired by the Declaration of Independence) and deliberated in the very chapel where visitors learn about it.
Whats most shocking about the Declaration is how relevant its words remain today. Among other observations, Stanton wrote that the ruling class of (almost entirely) men had created a false public sentiment by giving to the world a different code of morals for men and women. (Rings true today, eh?)
Stanton is immensely quotableher Declaration of Sentiments is even etched in its entirety into a fountain on the side of the parks visitor center. Had she not been an activist, Stanton would likely still be known for her ability as a writer, and not just for her work on the Declaration of Sentiments. She was also the principal author of The Womans Bible, for example, which is chock-full of pithy gems like, Men think that self-sacrifice is the most charming of all the cardinal virtues for women, and in order to keep it in healthy working order, they make opportunities for its illustration as often as possible.
In an era with more opportunities for women, she may have even been a prominent politician. Actually, in this alternate history, Stanton probably would have been better suited to serving as the most trusted vizier to another icon of American human rights activism, Susan B. Anthony. The two first met in Seneca Falls in 1851 when Anthony was visiting mutual friend and fellow activist Amelia Bloomer (who, among other claims to fame, lent her name to the pioneering trousers known as bloomers).
Stantons Seneca Falls home is also housed within the national historic park. The park ranger there encourages visitors to imagine the many influential leaders who met with Stanton there, none more frequently than Anthony. Although Anthony lived in Rochester (also in upstate New York, but not in the Finger Lakes), she was a frequent guest at Stantons home.
In the half-century following the Seneca Falls Convention, Stanton and Anthonys complementary skill sets would propel the womens rights movement into the 20th century. Their collaborative efforts were most evident in their prose. Stanton would often provide the rhetoric that Anthony would then deliver in speeches across the country. Or, in Stantons words, I forged the thunderbolts, she fired them.
What is most striking about the Finger Lakes human rights heritage is that Elizabeth Cady Stanton isnt even the most famous human rights activist with ties to the area. Although she was not present at the Seneca Falls Convention, Harriet Tubman spent the latter half of her life living in Auburn, 15 miles east of Seneca Falls at the crown of Cayuga Lake.
After visiting Tubmans home at AuburnsHarriet Tubman National Historical Park, I emerge with the opinion that, if a person doesnt admire Harriet Tubman, it can only be because they dont know enough about her. Although most famous forher flawless record as a conductor on the Underground Railroad, Tubman was also a womens rights activist, abolitionist, nurse, and Union spy during the Civil War, among many other roles. In fact, Tubman was the first woman to lead a major U.S. military operation, commanding a unit of 150 troops ona mission that liberated 700 slaves from a South Carolina plantation in 1863. Shes remarkableI cant think of another person like her. A visit to Tubmans gravesite at Fort Hill Cemetery (also in Auburn) feels as sacred as anything Ive encountered at a religious site.
With the history of womens rights on our minds as we depart Seneca Falls and Auburn, my family and I discuss our anxieties concerning the Supreme Courts looming decision (our worst fears would later be realized). While Womens Rights National Historical Park helps visitors remember that the United States was once on the vanguard of the womens rights movement, it can be difficult to remember that fact today. We miss Stantons eloquence in the modern age. She could probably cut through todays hateful rhetoric with a suggestion as simple and elegant as, Truth is the only safe ground to stand upon.
Its easy to imagine which side of todays debate Stanton wouldve landed onshe presciently predicted modern objections to womens ownership of their own decisions, writing in The Womens Bible that men never fail to dwell on maternity as a disqualification for the possession of many civil and political rights.
It is, however, a small (but vocal) minority of men who feel this way these daysin fact, the majority of American men support legalized abortion. The vast majority of American women polled also believe that decisions about terminating a pregnancy should be left to a woman and her doctor, including a majority of women in both major political parties. And, if the anti-abortion wings goal really is reducing the total number of abortions, then its useful to note that restricting access to abortion does not reduce the number of abortions.
Some data even suggest that abortions becomeslightly more common in areas where the procedure is prohibited (likely owing to the overlap between anti-abortion and anti-contraceptive ideologies). Put succinctly, the Supreme Courts ruling makes the U.S. a global outlier when it comes to reproductive rights,joining North Korea and Belarus on a short list of countries that have decreased access to abortion in the last 30 years.
My family and I continue discussing these topics in the context of the pending Supreme Court decision with an increasing sense of despondency. Then, with ideal timing, the Finger Lakes natural beauty successfully distracts us from our worries, if only temporarily.
At the southern edge of the Finger Lakes region, my mothers and I spontaneously decide to stop at Watkins Glen State Park and are spellbound. The parks centerpiece is a moss-covered gorge whose already gorgeous vistas are punctuated by 19 (!) waterfalls. The place is an Eden, or a Narnia, or Rivendell, or all three combined, plus it somehow looks even better in the rain. This sliver of placid paradise wrested from mountain (and moral) wilderness makes us feel optimistic.
Perhaps the unrelenting natural beauty of the Finger Lakes refreshed the depleted reserves of hope of activists like Stanton and others when experience pushed them toward hopelessness.Womens suffrage had far less popular support in Stantons time than reproductive rights do today. And yet, womens suffrage was eventually achieved. Despite occasional appearances to the contrary, the history of human rights in the U.S. is mostly a story of increased access to rights, albeit often slow and bittersweet.
Stanton maintained no misconceptions about the difficulties she and her comrades-in-arms would face. In entering upon the great work before us, she wrote in the Declaration of Sentiments, we anticipate no small amount of misconception, misrepresentation, and ridicule; but we shall use every instrumentality within our power to effect our object.
At the same time, she also harbored zero doubts about the moral universes eventual arc toward justice. Come, come, my conservative friend, she wrote. Wipe the dew off your spectacles, and see that the world is moving.
Much of the Finger Lakes human rights history can be experienced in two days (if you stay busy). Seneca Falls is an hours drive from Greater Rochester International Airport, and only two hours from Buffalo Niagara International Airport. Renting a car is the best way to make the trip, as public transportation is limited. If you are starting in Rochester, be sure to stop by theNational Susan B. Anthony Museum, located in the civil rights leaders home.
Home toWomens Rights National Historical Park, Seneca Falls is certainly a charming town (it was the inspiration for the fictional Bedford Falls inIts a Wonderful Life), but nearby Auburn and Geneva both offer more dining, lodging, and entertainment options (including live theater). Auburn is also home toHarriet Tubman National Historical Park. For a tour of the property, makereservations in advance. I couldnt recommend the tour more highly.
Tubmans grave is in the scenicFort Hill Cemetery, and she isnt the only famous person interred thereabolitionist (and former Secretary of State) William Seward is also buried on the property. Take the time to visitSewards home (also in Auburn). He was friends with Tubman and is a more inspiring figure himself than many people realizehis house was even a station on the Underground Railroad.
View original post here:
A Pilgrimage to the Birthplace of the Modern Womens Rights Movement - AFAR Media
- 7 Reasons to Retire and Relocate When Savings Fall Short ... - ThinkAdvisor - October 9th, 2023 [October 9th, 2023]
- Strive Asset Management vs. Engine No. 1: How Did the Activists ... - Morningstar - September 21st, 2023 [September 21st, 2023]
- New Taskforce to build UK nuclear skills - GOV.UK - July 31st, 2023 [July 31st, 2023]
- National Bank of Canada FI Has $16.22 Million Position in ... - Defense World - June 26th, 2023 [June 26th, 2023]
- RIT part of National Science Foundation grant to help spur next ... - Rochester Institute of Technology - May 22nd, 2023 [May 22nd, 2023]
- 2023 NAIA Outdoor Track & Field Regional Awards - U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association - May 22nd, 2023 [May 22nd, 2023]
- P&I wins ASBPE national gold award for managers microsite - Pensions & Investments - May 22nd, 2023 [May 22nd, 2023]
- The National - January 30th, 2023 [January 30th, 2023]
- Dimon Highlights Need For More Oil And Gas Investment As Vanguard Bails On ESG Group - Forbes - December 16th, 2022 [December 16th, 2022]
- About Us | National Vanguard - November 19th, 2022 [November 19th, 2022]
- Vanguard News Network - October 11th, 2022 [October 11th, 2022]
- Retirement Clearinghouse Announces Auto-Portability Network with Fidelity, Vanguard and Alight | PLANSPONSOR - PLANSPONSOR - October 11th, 2022 [October 11th, 2022]
- Abenaa Jones named Ann Atherton Hertzler Early Career Professor - Pennsylvania State University - August 6th, 2022 [August 6th, 2022]
- City of Detroit, Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, join the Black Theatre Network (BTN) to host Broadway Comes Home to Detroit, a... - July 25th, 2022 [July 25th, 2022]
- California Senate Votes to Keep Legalized Slavery in its Prisons - The Peoples Vanguard of Davis - June 29th, 2022 [June 29th, 2022]
- Schneider National (NYSE:SNDR) Now Covered by Analysts at Credit Suisse Group - Defense World - June 29th, 2022 [June 29th, 2022]
- Introducing the Truckstop.com Partner Marketplace: A Comprehensive Transportation and Logistics Ecosystem Empowering the Freight Community - Yahoo... - June 29th, 2022 [June 29th, 2022]
- White Child Adopted by Black Reality TV Star Beaten to Death - June 24th, 2022 [June 24th, 2022]
- National Car Rental - Wikipedia - June 24th, 2022 [June 24th, 2022]
- Down 15% in 2022, is it time to jump on Vanguard Australian Shares Index ETF? - The Motley Fool Australia - June 24th, 2022 [June 24th, 2022]
- LIVE BLOG: 2022 Corps at the Crest - San Diego - FloMarching - June 24th, 2022 [June 24th, 2022]
- Greater Sacramento Attends Bio International Convention in San Diego - The Peoples Vanguard of Davis - June 22nd, 2022 [June 22nd, 2022]
- Vanguard International Semiconductor : VIS and National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University Cofound Intelligent Manufacturing and Management Laboratory -... - June 22nd, 2022 [June 22nd, 2022]
- The Shadow Of June 12 - The Left and Nigeria's Democratic Revolution, By Baba Aye - SaharaReporters.com - June 22nd, 2022 [June 22nd, 2022]
- Yolo County Honors Juneteenth with Celebration - The Peoples Vanguard of Davis - June 22nd, 2022 [June 22nd, 2022]
- Commentary: Why San Francisco May Not Be the Best Test Case for Progressivism - The Peoples Vanguard of Davis - June 22nd, 2022 [June 22nd, 2022]
- As tennis fans gather Wimbledon worries expansion won't get over the line - The National - June 22nd, 2022 [June 22nd, 2022]
- Vanguard Charitable survey: More than 1 in 3 American donors gave half or more of their charitable contributions to disaster relief efforts in the... - May 20th, 2022 [May 20th, 2022]
- National Grid warns on cost-of-living challenges after strong profit (NYSE:NGG) - Seeking Alpha - May 20th, 2022 [May 20th, 2022]
- Is it a good time to buy the Vanguard Australian Shares Index ETF? - The Motley Fool Australia - May 20th, 2022 [May 20th, 2022]
- Student Opinion: The Biden Administration and Cable Companies Working Together to Bring Internet to Millions of Households - The Peoples Vanguard of... - May 20th, 2022 [May 20th, 2022]
- THE POWER OF LEADERSHIP - THISDAY Newspapers - May 20th, 2022 [May 20th, 2022]
- Vanguard may be shorting much vaunted 'owners' of its low-cost index funds as it upshifts to more Wall Street-style exec-comp tactics to thwart... - May 17th, 2022 [May 17th, 2022]
- Opinion | BlackRock, Vanguard and State Street Control a Piece of Nearly Everything - The New York Times - May 17th, 2022 [May 17th, 2022]
- Somalis receive explosive threat reduction training | Shephard - Shephard News - May 17th, 2022 [May 17th, 2022]
- JV Article: Platinum Group Metals is at the vanguard of next generation lithium-ion batteries - The Northern Miner - May 17th, 2022 [May 17th, 2022]
- Neo-Nazi Alex Davies guilty of belonging to banned terror group National Action - Tell MAMA - May 17th, 2022 [May 17th, 2022]
- Firearm-Related Homicides Reach an Unprecedented Level in the 21st Century - The Peoples Vanguard of Davis - May 17th, 2022 [May 17th, 2022]
- Satellites, the Space Race, and Supercomputing: How NASA Goddard's Beowulf Cluster Computer Became an Award-Winning Space Technology - NASA (.gov) - May 17th, 2022 [May 17th, 2022]
- Vanguard may be shorting much vaunted 'owners' of its low-cost index funds as it shifts to Wall Street-style exec-comp tactics to thwart competitors... - May 15th, 2022 [May 15th, 2022]
- Senate Democrats Fail to Codify Abortion Rights; Don't Have Votes to Overcome Filibuster Dem Manchin Votes with GOP - The Peoples Vanguard of Davis - May 15th, 2022 [May 15th, 2022]
- The School Buzz: Vanguard rocketry team competing for national title - KRDO - May 9th, 2022 [May 9th, 2022]
- The Anglo-Indian-Nigerian designer at the vanguard of British fashion - The National - May 9th, 2022 [May 9th, 2022]
- Candidate for Yolo County District Attorney Cynthia Rodriguez Announced Her Growing List of Endorsements in a Press Release on Thursday - The Peoples... - May 9th, 2022 [May 9th, 2022]
- Commentary: Trends Are Pushing Tech, Housing Toward Sacramento Region - The Peoples Vanguard of Davis - May 9th, 2022 [May 9th, 2022]
- UK Government announces 2 billion investment into nuclear submarines - The National - May 9th, 2022 [May 9th, 2022]
- Workers grapple with new stresses as they return to office - Tampa Bay Times - May 9th, 2022 [May 9th, 2022]
- Who is Ib Kamara, the new Off-White art director to fill Virgil Abloh's shoes? - The National - May 9th, 2022 [May 9th, 2022]
- Vanguard Lions Defeat Statesmen To End The Year - Victory Sports Network - April 15th, 2022 [April 15th, 2022]
- Other days - Arkansas Online - April 15th, 2022 [April 15th, 2022]
- Democrats are in danger of losing three congressional strongholds in South Texas - Standard-Times - April 15th, 2022 [April 15th, 2022]
- Remembering the WNBA's Portland Fire - Vanguard - Psuvanguard.com - April 13th, 2022 [April 13th, 2022]
- Honoring the life of Amara Marluke - Vanguard - Psuvanguard.com - April 13th, 2022 [April 13th, 2022]
- The grim outlook of owning and renting - Vanguard - Psuvanguard.com - April 13th, 2022 [April 13th, 2022]
- 2022 NAIA Women's Outdoor Track & Field Rating Index Week 3 - U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association - April 13th, 2022 [April 13th, 2022]
- ECOWAS and Nigeria Agree on a Roadmap to Institutionalise a Government and Society Wide Approach - African Business - March 17th, 2022 [March 17th, 2022]
- LA Treasurer joins other states in divesting Russian investments - KATC News - March 8th, 2022 [March 8th, 2022]
- How the US and Europe helped Ukraine prep for insurgency - ArmyTimes.com - March 8th, 2022 [March 8th, 2022]
- A Trailblazing Engineer Says Invention Is in Everything I Do - Tufts Now - March 8th, 2022 [March 8th, 2022]
- Russias Invasion of Ukraine and Implications for the Korean Peninsula - Council on Foreign Relations - March 8th, 2022 [March 8th, 2022]
- Vanguard University saying goodbye to the Pit - Los Angeles Times - January 14th, 2022 [January 14th, 2022]
- Energy Ended Up as a Good Bet Last Year. But Now What? - The New York Times - January 14th, 2022 [January 14th, 2022]
- Kensington Vanguard National Land Services - December 19th, 2021 [December 19th, 2021]
- Barry Harris, Pianist and Devoted Scholar of Bebop, Dies at 91 - The New York Times - December 10th, 2021 [December 10th, 2021]
- From Our Archives: a Profile of Bob Dole, Once the Senate's "Funniest Member" - Washingtonian - December 7th, 2021 [December 7th, 2021]
- National Auto Care on acquisition spree amid F&I consolidation - Automotive News - December 5th, 2021 [December 5th, 2021]
- A decade of marketisation has left lecturers with no choice but to strike - The Guardian - December 5th, 2021 [December 5th, 2021]
- A New Vanguard Is Reshaping the Art World - HarpersBAZAAR.com - December 5th, 2021 [December 5th, 2021]
- Opinion | The Trump Conspiracy Is Hiding in Plain Sight - The New York Times - December 5th, 2021 [December 5th, 2021]
- The forgotten importance of the War of Jenkins' Ear - The Economist - December 5th, 2021 [December 5th, 2021]
- What Conservative Critics of Higher Education Share - The Atlantic - December 5th, 2021 [December 5th, 2021]
- The Unite the Right trial is exposing the chasm between who plans White nationalism's battles and who does the fighting - ABC17News.com - November 19th, 2021 [November 19th, 2021]
- Tordue Salem: Journalists ask National Assembly to order independent inquiry into death of missing reporter - Premium Times - November 19th, 2021 [November 19th, 2021]
- Abu Dhabi to Welcome Two New Museums in Addition to Guggenheim and Zayed - Artforum - November 19th, 2021 [November 19th, 2021]
- Gauteng government at the vanguard of SAs green economy plans - Business Day - November 17th, 2021 [November 17th, 2021]
- 25 years of school and family connections | Hub - The Hub at Johns Hopkins - November 17th, 2021 [November 17th, 2021]
- Opinion: Organized crime is a top driver of global deforestation and climate change - Houston Chronicle - November 17th, 2021 [November 17th, 2021]
- Letters to the editor: Lend a hand to these family caregivers - Austin American-Statesman - November 15th, 2021 [November 15th, 2021]
- University of Chicago to award four honorary degrees at 2022 Convocation - UChicago News - November 9th, 2021 [November 9th, 2021]
- Review of Misfire by Tim Mak: How the Wheels Came Off at the NRA - The New Republic - November 9th, 2021 [November 9th, 2021]