an man has promised before he obtained
them, how he would use them. We all know that rights are often
abused; and above all things have human rights in this country
been abused, from the very fact that they have been withheld from
half of the community.

By human rights we mean natural rights, and upon that ground we
claim our rights, and upon that ground they have already been
conceded by the Declaration of Independence, in that first great
and immutable truth which is proclaimed in that instrument, "that
all men are created equal," and that therefore all are entitled
to "certain inalienable rights, among which are life, liberty,
and the pursuit of happiness." Our claims are based upon that
great and immutable truth, the rights of all humanity. For is
woman not included in that phrase, "all men are created free and
equal"? Is she not included in that expression? Tell us, ye men
of the nation, ay, ye wise law-makers and law-breakers of the
nation, whether woman is not included in that great Declaration
of Independence? And if she is, what right has man to deprive her
of her natural and inalienable rights? It is natural, it is
inherent, it is inborn, it is a thing of which no one can justly
deprive her. Upon that just and eternal basis do we found our
claims for our rights; political, civil, legal, social,
religious, and every other.

But, at the outset, we claim our equal political rights with man,
not only from that portion of the Declaration of Independence,
but from another, equally well-established principle in this
country, that "taxation and representation are inseparable."
Woman, everybody knows, is taxed; and if she is taxed, she ought
to be represented.

I will simply here throw out a statement of these principles upon
which our claims are based; and I trust each separate resolution
will be taken up by this Convention, fully canvassed and
commented upon, so as to show it not only an abstract right, but
a right which can be wisely made practical.

Again, it is acknowledged in this country, and it is eternally
true, that "all the just powers of government are derived from
the consent of the governed." If so, then, as woman is a subject
of government, she ought to have a voice in enacting the laws. If
her property is taxed