Join us for art, storytelling, speakers, and special programming.
NPS photo
Join us July 21-23, 2023 as we commemorate the 175th anniversary of the 1848 Women's Rights Convention!
Women, Gender, and the Law
Our society regulates and structures itself, in part, through the establishment and enforcement of law. It is through the law that we define and protect our rights, and outline our responsibilities to one another. In 1848, five women planned a convention that has sparked legal and legislative activism for the last 175 years. The Seneca Falls Women's Rights Convention was the first public meeting to focus specifically on "...the social, civil, and religious condition and rights of Woman, ... ." Held in the Wesleyan Methodist Chapel on July 19th and 20th, about 300 people came to discuss and debate the rights of women in America for two days. On each day of the convention, the Declaration of Sentiments was read to the assembly. The Declaration describes in detail the ways that the laws of the time failed women; failed to protect their rights, their safety, and their potential.
He has compelled her to submit to laws, in the formation of which she had no voice.
He has made her, if married, in the eye of the law, civilly dead.
The Declaration of Sentiments was signed by 100 of the attendees. By signing, those people signaled their agreement with the sixteen grievances listed. At the end of the Convention, the assembly voted to accept eleven resolutions committing to a set of principles and actions to change the way that women were treated under the law.
Resolved, That such laws as conflict, in any way, with the true and substantial happiness of woman, are contrary to the great precept of nature, and of no validity; for this is "superior in obligation to any other."
Resolved, That all laws which prevent woman from occupying such a station in society as her conscience shall dictate, or which place her in a position inferior to that of man, are contrary to the great precept of nature, and therefore of no force or authority.
Resolved, That woman is man's equal--was intended to be so by the Creator, and the highest good of the race demands that she should be recognized as such.
On the 175th anniversary of the Seneca Falls Convention, Women's Rights National Historical Park, along with invited speakers, partners, and visitors will explore the conditions and legal structures that motivated the reformers of 1848 to organize. We will also look at a few of the many ways that Seneca Falls Convention planners and attendees inspired changes in American democracy and representation, legal theory and the practice of law, and the most fundamental pillars of American citizenship.
Featured Events and Speakers
Nisha Arekapudi
Keynote Speaker: Nisha Nicole Arekapudi
Nisha Arekapudi is an expert in the rule of law and women’s access to justice. She joined UN Women in 2023 to lead the gender and the law portfolio, which aims to mobilize global action to end discrimination against women and accelerate empowerment. Prior to this, Nisha was with the World Bank Group’s Women, Business and the Law team for eight years, where she led the project’s Going to Court indicator, examining justice institutions and procedures that enhance women’s access to the legal system. She also evaluated the implementation of constitutional, labor, employment, family, and property laws affecting the business environment for women. Nisha has spoken extensively about women’s rights and access to justice, including at the US Department of State, the International Labour Organization, and the United Nations. She has also led capacity building workshops with civil society organizations in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Nisha graduated cum laude with a JD/MA from American University’s Washington College of Law and School of International Service. She is a member of the New York State Bar.
Special Presentation by Dr. Paisley Currah How the Women’s Rights Movement Paved the Way for Transgender Equality--and the Work that Remains to be Done
The misclassification of trans people was historically a consequence not simply of transphobia, but of the denial to women of the rights and resources available to men. When transgender people first attempted to change their sex classification, they came up against system built long ago to ensure sex-based legal subordination. Feminists’ work to end the inequality of women before the law eventually led to the dismantling of many of the barriers that hindered transgender equality. But we find ourselves in a different moment. How will the attack on transgender rights currently happening in state legislatures affect the larger movement for gender equality? Paisley Currah is the author of Sex Is as Sex Does: Governing Transgender Identity (NYU Press, 2022) and a professor of political science and women’s & gender studies at the City University of New York.
Special Presentation by Renee Knake Jefferson Sentiments, Shortlists, and the Pursuit of Women’s Rights as Constitutional Rights
Renee (Newman) Knake Jefferson is a law professor and an award-winning author. Jefferson was appointed to the Michigan State University Board of Trustees by Governor Gretchen Whitmer in 2019 following the resignation of a trustee over the university’s handling of the Dr. Larry Nassar sexual abuse scandal. The people of Michigan elected her to a full term in 2022. A Fulbright recipient and elected member of the American Law Institute, Jefferson regularly consults on matters related to lawyer/judicial ethics, diversity in leadership roles, and the first amendment and lawyer speech. She is the author of three casebooks, more than 20 law review articles, and the highly acclaimed book Shortlisted: Women in the Shadows of the Supreme Court. Her work has been featured in CNN Opinion, Ms. Magazine, the New York Times, Politico, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post and other news media. She regularly appears on television and radio, including MSNBC and National Public Radio. Jefferson holds the Doherty Chair in Legal Ethics at the University of Houston Law Center where she teaches ethics, constitutional law, and a writing seminar on gender, power, law, and leadership. Her academic career began at Michigan State University, where she taught for a decade.
Magic Sash Tea Time Craft (ages 6-12)
Join us at Women's Rights National Historical Park and travel back in time to the first Women's Rights Convention! Before we travel back in time, we will make sure to dress as if it is the 1800s. While sitting down for some tea, we will create our magical sashes to transport us back to 1848, and listen along to the Magic Sash podcast to learn about our destination. Once done, we will place our sashes on and transport back to the first Women's Rights Convention in time maybe even meet Elizabeth Cady Stanton or Frederick Douglass. Space is limited; make sure to register. To register e-mail Rebecca Weaver at rebecca_weaver@nps.gov or call 315-568-0024 ext. 3006.
This craft is designed for children ages 6 to 12.Children registered must be accompanied by a parent, guardian, or chaperone at this program.
This program is made possible through the Seneca County Tourism Promotion and Development Grant.
Join us and our friends at the Seneca Falls Historical Society for a special ride through history on Sunday, July 23!
This 90-minute train ride will take you from Academy Square in Seneca Falls across Cayuga Lake, into Auburn and back. The excursion will travel along the approximately 15-mile historic route of the New York Central Railroad. This journey mirrors the one taken by Convention planners and women’s rights activists, Lucretia Mott and Martha C. Wright from Auburn to Seneca Falls on their way to the First Women’s Rights Convention in 1848. The ride will feature performances by living historians portraying famous figures from Abolition and Women’s Suffrage, like Frederick Douglass and Lucretia Mott, as well as National Park Service Ranger from Women’s Rights National Historical Park presenting historical interpretation about the significant role that trains played in the spread of support for women’s rights. Suffrage organizers, traveling throughout rural and undeveloped areas. This event is free for all, but seating is limited.
For any questions, or to reserve your seat on this historic train ride, call the Seneca Falls Historical Society at 315-568-8412. Seats are not reserved unless you speak to a museum representative.
Schedule of Events
Some times may be subject to change. Please see our park calendar for more details on individual programs. All programs are free of charge; those which require advance reservations are noted in the description.
Visitor Center
9:00am - 5:00pm
View two floors of museum exhibits an the 1848 Seneca Falls Convention, including the "First Wave" statue installation on the ground floor and our temporary exhibit "Radical Optimism." 136 Fall Street, Seneca Falls, NY
Junior Ranger Explorer Room
9:00am - 5:00pm
Come explore Women's Rights National Historical Park and become a Junior Ranger! Color, play, and create in our Junior Ranger Room throughout the day while learning about the First Women's Rights Convention held in Seneca Falls, 175 years ago. Located on the second floor of the Visitor Center. 136 Fall Street, Seneca Falls, NY
Junior Ranger Mission Kits Ages 6 and up
Do you have what it takes to solve the mystery of the missing Declaration of Sentiments? Written at the first Women's Rights Convention, it has now gone missing. Can you solve the clues located throughout the museum and find this important document? Ask for the Mission Kit at the front desk to get start and earn a Junior Ranger Badge.
Junior Ranger Puzzle Kit Ages 3 to 6
Oh no! Martha Coffin Wright's pet squirrel has hidden parts of the Declaration of Sentiments throughout the museum. Can you find all the missing pieces and put it all pack together again? Ask for the Puzzle Kit at the front desk to get start and earn a Junior Ranger Badge.
Wesleyan Chapel
9:00am - 5:00 pm
The Wesleyan Chapel is the location of the First Women’s Rights Convention held on July 19 and 20, 1848, in which approximately 300 people gathered to attend. It is considered by many historians to the formal beginning of the Women’s Rights Movement in the United States. Learn more about the Wesleyan Chapel.
136 Fall Street, Seneca Falls, NY
The Waterwall at Declaration Park
Dawn to Dusk
A 100 foot long bluestone water feature located in Declaration Park (located between the Visitor Center and Wesleyan Chapel) is inscribed with the words of the Declaration of Sentiments. The Waterwall and Declaration Park provides visitors with a space to gather and reflect on these powerful words. Learn more about the Waterwall at Declaration Park. 136 Fall Street, Seneca Falls, NY
Center of the Rebellion with Elizabeth Cady Stanton
10:00am - 10:45am
Elizabeth Cady Stanton called her home on Washington Street in Seneca Falls, "The Center of the Rebellion." Join a ranger and Elizabeth Cady Stanton (Melinda Grube) to learn more about Stanton's life in Seneca Falls and how it inspired her to take up the fight for equal rights for women. Stanton House, 32 Washington Street, Seneca Falls
Revolutionary Roots with Lucretia Mott
11:00am - 11:45am
How does a social movement grow? Learn about the organizers of the 1848 Seneca Falls Women's Rights Convention and even get to meet and interact with an organizer, Lucretia Mott (Renee Noelle Felice), from the first Women's Rights Convention. Discover how faith, fortune, and fate combined to ignite a movement. Wesleyan Chapel, 136 Fall Street, Seneca Falls
Ranger Program: Radical Hospitality
12:00pm - 12:45pm
Thomas and Mary Ann M'Clintock and their five children made this their home for 20 years. The M'Clintock family ran a local business, led the local Quaker Monthly Meeting, and were involved in almost every reform activity in Western New York. On July 16, 1848, Mary Ann M'Clintock hosted a planning session for the First Women's Rights Convention. At this session she, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and others drafted a document they called the Declaration of Sentiments. It was ratified on the second day of the First Woman's Rights Convention and signed by 100 men and women, proclaiming that "all men and women are created equal." M'Clintock House, 14 East Williams Street, Waterloo
Ranger Program: Revolutionary Roots
1:00pm - 1:45pm
How does a social movement grow? Join a ranger to meet the organizers of the 1848 Seneca Falls Women's Rights Convention and learn more about the Wesleyan Chapel in which it was held. Discover how Faith, Fortune and Fate combined to ignite a movement. Wesleyan Chapel, 136 Fall Street, Seneca Falls
Center of the Rebellion with Lucretia Mott
2:00pm - 2:45pm
Elizabeth Cady Stanton called her home on Washington Street in Seneca Falls, "The Center of the Rebellion." Join a ranger and Lucretia Mott (Renee Noelle Felice) to learn more about Stanton's life in Seneca Falls and how it inspired her to take up the fight for equal rights for women. Stanton House, 32 Washington Street, Seneca Falls
Magic Sash Tea Time Craft (Registration Required: Ages 6-12)
2:00pm - 2:45pm
Join us at Women's Rights National Historical Park and travel back in time to the first Women's Rights Convention! Before we travel back in time, we will make sure to dress as if it is the 1800s. While sitting down for some tea, we will create our magical sashes to transport us back to 1848 while listening along to Magic Sash podcast to learn about our destination. Once done, we will place our sashes on and transport back to the first Women's Rights Convention in time maybe even meet Elizabeth Cady Stanton or Frederick Douglass. Space is limited make sure to register. To register e-mail Rebecca Weaver at rebecca_weaver@nps.gov or call 315-568-0024 ext. 3006.
This craft is designed for children ages 6 to 12.Children registered must be accompanied by a parent, guardian, or chaperone at this program. Junior Ranger Explorer Room, 136 Fall Street, Seneca Falls, NY
Revolutionary Roots with Elizabeth Cady Stanton
3:00pm - 3:45pm
How does a social movement grow? Learn about the organizers of the 1848 Seneca Falls Women's Rights Convention and even get to meet and interact with organizer, Elizabeth Cady Stanton (Melinda Grube), from the first Women's Rights Convention. Discover how faith, fortune, and fate combined to ignite a movement. Wesleyan Chapel, 136 Fall Street, Seneca Falls
Special Presentation by Dr. Paisley Currah How the Women’s Rights Movement Paved the Way for Transgender Equality--and the Work that Remains to be Done
4:00pm - 4:45pm
The misclassification of trans people was historically a consequence not simply of transphobia, but of the denial to women of the rights and resources available to men. When transgender people first attempted to change their sex classification, they came up against system built long ago to ensure sex-based legal subordination. Feminists’ work to end the inequality of women before the law eventually led to the dismantling of many of the barriers that hindered transgender equality. But we find ourselves in a different moment. How will the attack on transgender rights currently happening in state legislatures affect the larger movement for gender equality?
Paisley Currah is the author of Sex Is as Sex Does: Governing Transgender Identity (NYU Press, 2022) and a professor of political science and women’s & gender studies at the City University of New York. Wesleyan Chapel, 136 Fall Street, Seneca Falls
Radical Hopitality with Lucretia Mott
4:00pm - 4:45pm
Join organizer Lucretia Mott (Renee Noelle Felice) and a park ranger and learn more about the M'Clintocks and the first Women's Rights Convention! Thomas and Mary Ann M'Clintock and their five children made this their home for 20 years. The M'Clintock family ran a local business, led the local Quaker Monthly Meeting, and were involved in almost every reform activity in Western New York. On July 16, 1848, Mary Ann M'Clintock hosted a planning session for the First Women's Rights Convention. At this session she, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and others drafted a document they called the Declaration of Sentiments. It was ratified on the second day of the First Woman's Rights Convention and signed by 100 men and women, proclaiming that "all men and women are created equal." M'Clintock House, 14 East Williams Street, Waterloo
Visitor Center
9:00am - 5:00pm
View two floors of museum exhibits an the 1848 Seneca Falls Convention, including the "First Wave" statue installation on the ground floor and our temporary exhibit "Radical Optimism." 136 Fall Street, Seneca Falls, NY
Junior Ranger Explorer Room
9:00am - 5:00pm
Come explore Women's Rights National Historical Park and become a Junior Ranger! Color, play, and create in our Junior Ranger Room throughout the day while learning about the First Women's Rights Convention held in Seneca Falls, 175 years ago. Located on the second floor of the Visitor Center. 136 Fall Street, Seneca Falls, NY
Junior Ranger Mission Kits Ages 6 and up
Do you have what it takes to solve the mystery of the missing Declaration of Sentiments? Written at the first Women's Rights Convention, it has now gone missing. Can you solve the clues located throughout the museum and find this important document? Ask for the Mission Kit at the front desk to get start and earn a Junior Ranger Badge.
Junior Ranger Puzzle Kit Ages 3 to 6
Oh no! Martha Coffin Wright's pet squirrel has hidden parts of the Declaration of Sentiments throughout the museum. Can you find all the missing pieces and put it all pack together again? Ask for the Puzzle Kit at the front desk to get start and earn a Junior Ranger Badge.
Wesleyan Chapel
9:00am - 5:00 pm
The Wesleyan Chapel is the location of the First Women’s Rights Convention held on July 19 and 20, 1848, in which approximately 300 people gathered to attend. It is considered by many historians to the formal beginning of the Women’s Rights Movement in the United States. Learn more about the Wesleyan Chapel.
136 Fall Street, Seneca Falls, NY
The Waterwall at Declaration Park
Dawn to Dusk
A 100 foot long bluestone water feature located in Declaration Park (located between the Visitor Center and Wesleyan Chapel) is inscribed with the words of the Declaration of Sentiments. The Waterwall and Declaration Park provides visitors with a space to gather and reflect on these powerful words. Learn more about the Waterwall at Declaration Park. 136 Fall Street, Seneca Falls, NY
Convention Days Opening Ceremony
9:00am - 9:30am
Superintendent Ahna Wilson will deliver a welcome address, followed by a reading of the Declaration of Sentiments by Melinda Grube, as Elizabeth Cady Stanton. Wesleyan Chapel, 136 Fall Street, Seneca Falls, NY
Keynote Speaker- Nisha Nicole Arekapudi
10:00am - 10:45am
Nisha Arekapudi is an expert in the rule of law and women’s access to justice. She joined UN Women in 2023 to lead the gender and the law portfolio, which aims to mobilize global action to end discrimination against women and accelerate empowerment. Prior to this, Nisha was with the World Bank Group’s Women, Business and the Law team for eight years, where she led the project’s Going to Court indicator, examining justice institutions and procedures that enhance women’s access to the legal system. She also evaluated the implementation of constitutional, labor, employment, family, and property laws affecting the business environment for women. Nisha has spoken extensively about women’s rights and access to justice, including at the US Department of State, the International Labour Organization, and the United Nations. She has also led capacity building workshops with civil society organizations in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Nisha graduated cum laude with a JD/MA from American University’s Washington College of Law and School of International Service. She is a member of the New York State Bar. Wesleyan Chapel, 136 Fall Street, Seneca Falls, NY
Partner Event: Centennial Intergenerational Equal Rights Amendment Panel
11:00am -11:45am
This event is provided by the Friends of Women's Rights National Historical Park.
Learn a brief history about the Equal Rights Amendment followed by an open discussion with panelists on the Equal Rights Amendment. Questions will be collected via the Friends of Women's Rights National Historical Park and the Slido app. Wesleyan Chapel, 136 Fall Street, Seneca Falls, NY
Panelist Included:
Christian F. Nunes, President National Organization for Women (NOW)
Carolyn B. Maloney, President NY NOW, Former Congresswoman (NY-12), and Board Co-Chair ERA Coalition
Ellie Smeal, CEO Feminist Majority
Belan Yeshigeta, Co-Founder Generation Ratify and Student at Columbia
Ting Ting Cheng, Director of Columbia Law School's ERA Project
Congresswoman Cori Bush, Representative of Missouri's 1st District
Moderators:
Rosie Couture, Co-Founder Generation Ratify and Student at Harvard College
Kate Kelly, ERA Advocate and author of Ordinary Equality: The Fearless Women and Queer People Who Shaped the U.S. Constitution and the Equal Rights Amendment
Radical Hopitality with Lucretia Mott and Elizabeth Cady Stanton
12:00pm - 12:45pm
Join organizers Lucretia Mott (Renee Noelle Felice) and Elizabeth Cady Stanton (Melinda Grube) along with a park ranger and learn more about the M'Clintocks and the first Women's Rights Convention! Thomas and Mary Ann M'Clintock and their five children made this their home for 20 years. The M'Clintock family ran a local business, led the local Quaker Monthly Meeting, and were involved in almost every reform activity in Western New York. On July 16, 1848, Mary Ann M'Clintock hosted a planning session for the First Women's Rights Convention. At this session she, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and others drafted a document they called the Declaration of Sentiments. It was ratified on the second day of the First Woman's Rights Convention and signed by 100 men and women, proclaiming that "all men and women are created equal." M'Clintock House, 24 East Williams Street, Waterloo, NY
Special Presentation by Renee Knake Jefferson Sentiments, Shortlists, and the Pursuit of Women’s Rights as Constitutional Rights
1:00pm - 1:45pm
Renee (Newman) Knake Jefferson is a law professor and an award-winning author. Jefferson was appointed to the Michigan State University Board of Trustees by Governor Gretchen Whitmer in 2019 following the resignation of a trustee over the university’s handling of the Dr. Larry Nassar sexual abuse scandal. The people of Michigan elected her to a full term in 2022. A Fulbright recipient and elected member of the American Law Institute, Jefferson regularly consults on matters related to lawyer/judicial ethics, diversity in leadership roles, and the first amendment and lawyer speech. She is the author of three casebooks, more than 20 law review articles, and the highly acclaimed book Shortlisted: Women in the Shadows of the Supreme Court. Her work has been featured in CNN Opinion, Ms. Magazine, the New York Times, Politico, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post and other news media. She regularly appears on television and radio, including MSNBC and National Public Radio. Jefferson holds the Doherty Chair in Legal Ethics at the University of Houston Law Center where she teaches ethics, constitutional law, and a writing seminar on gender, power, law, and leadership. Her academic career began at Michigan State University, where she taught for a decade. Wesleyan Chapel, 136 Fall Street, Seneca Falls, NY
Magic Sash Tea Time Craft (Registration Required: Ages 6-12)
1:00pm - 1:45pm
Join us at Women's Rights National Historical Park and travel back in time to the first Women's Rights Convention! Before we travel back in time, we will make sure to dress as if it is the 1800s. While sitting down for some tea, we will create our magical sashes to transport us back to 1848 while listening along to Magic Sash podcast to learn about our destination. Once done, we will place our sashes on and transport back to the first Women's Rights Convention in time maybe even meet Elizabeth Cady Stanton or Frederick Douglass. Space is limited make sure to register. To register e-mail Rebecca Weaver at rebecca_weaver@nps.gov or call 315-568-0024 ext. 3006.
This craft is designed for children ages 6 to 12.Children registered must be accompanied by a parent, guardian, or chaperone at this program. Junior Ranger Explorer Room, 136 Fall Street, Seneca Falls, NY
Ranger Program: Revolutionary Roots
1:00pm - 1:45pm
How does a social movement grow? Join a ranger to meet the organizers of the 1848 Seneca Falls Women's Rights Convention and learn more about the Wesleyan Chapel in which it was held. Discover how Faith, Fortune and Fate combined to ignite a movement. Wesleyan Chapel, 136 Fall Street, Seneca Falls, NY
Seeds of Change Sunflower Craft
1:00pm - 3:00pm
Come join us and decorate your own sunflower pot to take home! The sunflower was used as a symbol throughout the Women's Rights Movement. Additionally, Elizabeth Cady Stanton used "Sunflower" as her pen name when writing for the The Lily, a reform focused newspaper out of Seneca Falls. It was a nickname her husband gave to her. It will later be picked up in 1867 in Kansas to symbolize the women's suffrage movement. Be inspired by the women's suffrage movement and create your own design for the movement, then take home some soil and a seed to plant your own sunflower to remember the seeds of equality sowed in Seneca Falls 175 years ago!
This activity is family friendly and will be first come, first served. Visitor Center, First Floor- Orientation Room, 136 Fall Street, Seneca Falls, NY
Center of the Rebellion with Elizabeth Cady Stanton
2:00pm - 2:45pm
Elizabeth Cady Stanton called her home on Washington Street in Seneca Falls, "The Center of the Rebellion." Join a ranger and Elizabeth Cady Stanton (Melinda Grube) to learn more about Stanton's life in Seneca Falls and how it inspired her to take up the fight for equal rights for women. Stanton House, 32 Washington Street, Seneca Falls, NY
Genesee Country Village and Museum: Ladies Baseball Game
2:00pm - 2:45pm
Ladies 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! Stanton House, 32 Washington Street, Seneca Falls, NY
Special Presentation: Equality of Rights Under the Law- The Equal Rights Amendment
2:00pm - 2:45pm
Winning the vote with the 19th Amendment was not the end of the fight; it was just the beginning. One hundred years ago, the National Woman's Party gathered in Seneca Falls determined to continue the struggle for equality. Alice Paul announced their intention to amend the Constitution again, this time to eliminate unequal treatment under the law based on sex. Join Susan Philpott from Belmont-Paul Women's Equality National Monument for the evolving saga of the Equal Rights Amendment from 1923 until today. Wesleyan Chapel, 136 Fall Street, Seneca Falls, NY
Revolutionary Roots with Frederick Douglass
3:00pm - 3:45pm
How does a social movement grow? Learn about the organizers of the 1848 Seneca Falls Women's Rights Convention and even get to meet and interact with supporter, Frederick Douglass (Nathan Richardson), from the first Women's Rights Convention. Discover how faith, fortune, and fate combined to ignite a movement. Wesleyan Chapel, 136 Fall Street, Seneca Falls, NY
Ranger Program: Radical Hospitality
4:00 pm - 4:45pm
Thomas and Mary Ann M'Clintock and their five children made this their home for 20 years. The M'Clintock family ran a local business, led the local Quaker Monthly Meeting, and were involved in almost every reform activity in Western New York. On July 16, 1848, Mary Ann M'Clintock hosted a planning session for the First Women's Rights Convention. At this session she, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and others drafted a document they called the Declaration of Sentiments. It was ratified on the second day of the First Woman's Rights Convention and signed by 100 men and women, proclaiming that "all men and women are created equal." M'Clintock House, 24 East Williams Street, Waterloo, NY
Special Presentation by Dr. Melinda Grube Harriot Stanton Blatch
4:00 pm - 4:45pm
After the Women's Rights Convention of 1848, Seneca Falls became the "Center of Rebellion" where Elizabeth Cady Stanton waged a campaign for women's rights in the company of the great reformers of the day and amidst a houseful of spirited children. One of those children grew into a powerhouse of human rights activism in her own right. Harriot Stanton Blatch, daughter, heir, and sometime partner of a great mother, was far more than a reflection and continuation of Elizabeth Cady Stanton’s legacy. As a suffragist, economic theorist and socialist, peace advocate, writer, and political strategist, she was, in her own right, one of America’s great reformers. As a suffragist, she accomplished what her mother started in Seneca Falls. As a feminist, she expanded her mother's vision for her generation and those who followed. Join Melinda Grube as she explores the life of Elizabeth Cady Stanton's daughter and legacy. Wesleyan Chapel, 136 Fall Street, Seneca Falls, NY
Visitor Center
9:00am - 5:00pm
View two floors of museum exhibits an the 1848 Seneca Falls Convention, including the "First Wave" statue installation on the ground floor and our temporary exhibit "Radical Optimism." 136 Fall Street, Seneca Falls, NY
Junior Ranger Explorer Room
9:00am - 5:00pm
Come explore Women's Rights National Historical Park and become a Junior Ranger! Color, play, and create in our Junior Ranger Room throughout the day while learning about the First Women's Rights Convention held in Seneca Falls, 175 years ago. Located on the second floor of the Visitor Center. 136 Fall Street, Seneca Falls, NY
Junior Ranger Mission Kits Ages 6 and up
Do you have what it takes to solve the mystery of the missing Declaration of Sentiments? Written at the first Women's Rights Convention, it has now gone missing. Can you solve the clues located throughout the museum and find this important document? Ask for the Mission Kit at the front desk to get start and earn a Junior Ranger Badge.
Junior Ranger Puzzle Kit Ages 3 to 6
Oh no! Martha Coffin Wright's pet squirrel has hidden parts of the Declaration of Sentiments throughout the museum. Can you find all the missing pieces and put it all pack together again? Ask for the Puzzle Kit at the front desk to get start and earn a Junior Ranger Badge.
Wesleyan Chapel
9:00am - 5:00 pm
The Wesleyan Chapel is the location of the First Women’s Rights Convention held on July 19 and 20, 1848, in which approximately 300 people gathered to attend. It is considered by many historians to the formal beginning of the Women’s Rights Movement in the United States. Learn more about the Wesleyan Chapel.
136 Fall Street, Seneca Falls, NY
The Waterwall at Declaration Park
Dawn to Dusk
A 100 foot long bluestone water feature located in Declaration Park (located between the Visitor Center and Wesleyan Chapel) is inscribed with the words of the Declaration of Sentiments. The Waterwall and Declaration Park provides visitors with a space to gather and reflect on these powerful words. Learn more about the Waterwall at Declaration Park. 136 Fall Street, Seneca Falls, NY
Ranger Program: Center of the Rebellion
10:00am - 10:45am
Elizabeth Cady Stanton called her home on Washington Street in Seneca Falls, "The Center of the Rebellion." Join a ranger to learn more about Stanton's life in Seneca Falls and how it inspired her to take up the fight for equal rights for women. Stanton House, 32 Washington Street, Seneca Falls, NY
Ranger Program: Revolutionary Roots
11:00am - 11:45am
How does a social movement grow? Join a ranger to meet the organizers of the 1848 Seneca Falls Women's Rights Convention and learn more about the Wesleyan Chapel in which it was held. Discover how Faith, Fortune and Fate combined to ignite a movement. Wesleyan Chapel, 136 Fall Street, Seneca Falls, NY
Seneca Falls Heritage Express Train
11:00am-1:00pm
This 90-minute train ride will take you from Academy Square in Seneca Falls across Cayuga Lake, into Auburn and back. The excursion will travel along the approximately 15-mile historic route of the New York Central Railroad. This journey mirrors the one taken by Convention planners and women’s rights activists, Lucretia Mott, and Martha C. Wright from Auburn to Seneca Falls on their way to the First Women’s Rights Convention in 1848. The ride will feature performances by living historians portraying famous figures from Abolition and Women’s Suffrage, like Frederick Douglass and Lucretia Mott, as well as National Park Service Ranger from Women’s Rights National Historical Park presenting historical interpretation about the significant role that trains played in the spread of support for women’s rights. Suffrage organizers, traveling throughout rural and undeveloped areas. This event is free for all, but seating is limited. For any questions, or to reserve your seat on this historic train ride, call the Seneca Falls Historical Society at 315-568-8412. Seats are not reserved unless you speak to a museum representative. Academy Square Park, Cayuga St, Seneca Falls, NY
Ranger Program: Radical Hospitality
12:00pm - 12:45pm
Thomas and Mary Ann M'Clintock and their five children made this their home for 20 years. The M'Clintock family ran a local business, led the local Quaker Monthly Meeting, and were involved in almost every reform activity in Western New York. On July 16, 1848, Mary Ann M'Clintock hosted a planning session for the First Women's Rights Convention. At this session she, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and others drafted a document they called the Declaration of Sentiments. It was ratified on the second day of the First Woman's Rights Convention and signed by 100 men and women, proclaiming that "all men and women are created equal." M'Clintock House, 14 East Williams Street, Waterloo, NY
Ranger Program: Revolutionary Roots
1:00pm - 1:45pm
How does a social movement grow? Join a ranger to meet the organizers of the 1848 Seneca Falls Women's Rights Convention and learn more about the Wesleyan Chapel in which it was held. Discover how Faith, Fortune and Fate combined to ignite a movement. Wesleyan Chapel, 136 Fall Street, Seneca Falls, NY
Ranger Program: Center of the Rebellion
2:00pm - 2:45pm
Elizabeth Cady Stanton called her home on Washington Street in Seneca Falls, "The Center of the Rebellion." Join a ranger to learn more about Stanton's life in Seneca Falls and how it inspired her to take up the fight for equal rights for women. Stanton House, 32 Washington Street, Seneca Falls, NY
Ranger Program: Radical Hospitality
4:00pm - 4:45pm
Thomas and Mary Ann M'Clintock and their five children made this their home for 20 years. The M'Clintock family ran a local business, led the local Quaker Monthly Meeting, and were involved in almost every reform activity in Western New York. On July 16, 1848, Mary Ann M'Clintock hosted a planning session for the First Women's Rights Convention. At this session she, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and others drafted a document they called the Declaration of Sentiments. It was ratified on the second day of the First Woman's Rights Convention and signed by 100 men and women, proclaiming that "all men and women are created equal." M'Clintock House, 14 East Williams Street, Waterloo, NY
Other Events and Activities
Convention Days is a community event. Visit our Nearby Attractions page for links to other museums and organizations in Seneca Falls. These organizations host Convention Days activities beyond those hosted by the park.
