document analysis 4

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HIS 131—Document Analysis #4

Your Name: ____________________

Title of Document: Declaration of Sentiments

• Due Date: by 1:00 PM on Saturday, September 20, 2025

• Points: 50

• Directions: Please read the “Declaration of Sentiments” and then answer the following

questions. For questions 3 through 10, please use complete sentences.

1. When was the document created?

2. Who created or authored the document?

3. In your own words, please summarize the document. What is the main claim (or claims)

presented in the document? What evidence is presented to support the claim(s)?

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4. There are obvious similarities between the Declaration of Sentiments and the Declaration of

Independence. What are the differences between the two declarations?

5. According to the authors, “The history of mankind is a history of repeated injuries and

usurpations on the part of man toward woman, having in direct object the establishment of an

absolute tyranny over her.” Which of their examples do you find most shocking or disturbing?

Please explain your rationale.

6. In the document, the authors wrote, “He has withheld from her rights which are given to the

most ignorant and degraded men—both natives and foreigners.” (In this context, “native” is a

reference to American-born men.) What do you think this sentence meant? What might it have

demonstrated about the authors’ worldview?

7. Among the demands in the Declaration of Sentiments was voting rights for women. Why is

this right so important?

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8. Who was the intended audience for the document at the time it was written?

9. Why was this declaration written? What was the motive?

10. What did the Declarations of Sentiments highlight about societal and governmental attitudes

toward women?

• Based, in part, on the “Written Document Analysis Worksheet” created by the Education Staff, National Archives and Records

Administration.