Compare and Contrast Essay: The Declaration of Independence vs. The Declaration of Sentiments

📌Category: History, History of the United States
📌Words: 709
📌Pages: 3
📌Published: 13 April 2022

Both of the passages, The Declaration of Independence by Thomas Jefferson and The Declaration of Sentiments by Elizabeth Cady Stanton, are passages demanding a change in the world. Stanton’s declaration states how women want to be treated equal as the men are treated in society. Jefferson’s declaration explains how the colonists want to be freed from the control of their mother country, Great Britain. The two documents, The Declaration of Independence and The Declaration of Sentiments, are similar in their overall goal and format but vary in their specific requests and demands. 

The two passages, The Declaration of Independence by Thomas Jefferson and the Declaration of Sentiments by Elizabeth Cady Stanton have many similarities between them, one of them being that both of the passages are pushing for a change in the world. The Declaration of Independence wants the chance of being free and The Declaration of Sentiments wants the chance of being treated equally. Jefferson states, “That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown…” (US 1776). In this quote Jefferson explains the change that he is pushing for, which is similar to the way Stanton pushes for her quote. Stanton explains, “... we insist that they have immediate admission to all the rights and privileges which belong to them as citizens of these United States” (Stanton 1). Stanton is also pushing for a change in the United States as did Jefferson in the Declaration of Independence. Both of these authors want something to be changed that, in their opinion, would be a good change to make people happier. 

Another big similarity between the two documents is that the two authors, Thomas Jefferson and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, both format their declarations similarly. Both of these authors write their preambles almost the exact same way then go on to list their grievances and complaints about the problem at hand. In the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson explains, “He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.

He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them” (US 1776). Jefferson formats the grievances writes about by putting them in a list of what Great Britain has done to them. Stanton does this exact thing, for example, “He has never permitted her to exercise her inalienable right to the elective franchise. He has compelled her to submit to laws, in the formation of which she had no voice” (Stanton 1). Stanton does the exact thing that Jefferson does in his declaration; she lists the things the men did to the women as grievances. Both authors sum up their declarations by proposing the desired changes that they want to come out of their grievances stated. 

Although the two declarations can be similar in some ways, they also vary in the specific requests and demands. In The Declaration of Independence Jefferson explains how he and the Americans want the colonies to be free from Great Britain while in the Declaration of Sentiments Stanton pushes to be treated the same as the men. The difference here is that Jefferson wants to be away from something while Stanton wants to go towards or be more like something. Jefferson writes, “...all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States…” (US 1776). Jefferson says that he wants all the connection between America and Great Britain to be done with which is how he wants to go away, not go towards Great Britain. In contrast to what Jefferson wants, Stanton explains, “Such has been the patient sufferance of the women under this government, and such is now the necessity which constrains them to demand the equal station to which they are entitled” (Stanton 1). The key word in this quote is “equal” because this shows that Stanton wants equality, or to be the same as the men whereas Jefferson doesn't want to be the same as Great Britain. 

The two documents The Declaration of Independence by Thomas Jefferson and The Declaration of Sentiments by Elizabeth Cady Stanton are similar to each other, but also vary. These two documents are similar because both of the authors are pushing for a change and they are formatted almost the exact same way. They vary from each other because the goals that the authors are pushing for are different.

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