Seneca Falls, New York (pop. 6,809), was the site of the first women’s rights convention in the United States. It is the home of the National Women’s Hall of Fame and the Women’s Rights National Historical Park. Seneca Falls lies in the Finger Lakes region in central New York.
Social reformers Lucretia Mott and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, a Seneca Falls resident, organized the women’s rights convention in 1848. It was the first formal appeal for woman suffrage (the right to vote). The men and women at the convention adopted a Declaration of Sentiments that called for women to have equal rights in education, property control, voting, and other matters. Stanton, who wrote the declaration, used as a model the Declaration of Independence, which states that “all men are created equal.” Stanton’s declaration stated that “all men and women are created equal.”
The National Women’s Hall of Fame was organized in Seneca Falls in 1969. In 1979, it opened a permanent display honoring great women of the United States for their achievements and contributions.
The Women’s Rights National Historical Park opened in 1982 in downtown Seneca Falls. It includes Wesleyan Chapel, where the convention was held, and Elizabeth Cady Stanton’s home.
