Seneca Series

Liberty Ansorge, Katelyn Lehnert, and Madison Feld

Senior Division
Group Website
Process Paper Word Count: 491
 Our topic of the Seneca Falls Convention came about through brainstorming, research,
and general interest in the topic. We knew we wanted to do something that dealt with womens
rights. We came up with the topic of the Seneca Falls Convention by first researching women
who were primary creators of fighting for womens rights. At first, we were going to base our
website singularly off of specific women, like Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony.
After a while, we decided to find a specific event instead. Then, our teacher gave us the idea of
using The Seneca Falls Convention. So, we went to the library to try to find books related to the
convention. With no luck, we researched online instead. Finding websites was the best option
for our topic. On the other hand, searching for primary sources like letters or artifacts was
difficult. We did, however, find some newspapers that helped create our website.
Although is was quite difficult for us to find primary sources, we did find many secondary
sources. To find our sources, we went to our school and local library, the internet, teachers, and
friends. The bulk of our sources came from websites. Some examples were HistoryNet.com,
The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, and the National Park Service. These
websites were helpful because they gave us many ideas and information about how people took
a stand at the Seneca Falls Convention. From these sources and our own perspective, we
translated it into our own words and entered it into the website. Our primary sources mainly
consisted of newspapers. These newspapers gave us information directly from the time of the
convention. That kind of information was not necessarily better than secondary sources, but it
gave a more useful representation of what actually happened.
We decided to do a website because we thought it would be a neat and creative way to
let people know about our topic. It was also a best way to express all the facts we gathered.
Because the idea of womens rights transcends time and is very popular at the moment, we
thought a website would be a modern way to convey our information. We collected our
information by dividing and conquering. As a group, we each had a little bit to do with every
aspect of the website.
Our theme is significant in history because it set the field for one of the biggest turning
points for women. The convention started the road towards the nineteenth amendment. The
Seneca Falls Convention made women feel powerful and in control. Although some people who
attended this event did not agree with the things put in The Declaration of Sentiments, the event
still made sure to put the idea in peoples heads. The thesis fits the theme of taking a stand
because women had little control back then. This convention gave women across the country
the audacity to stand up for themselves.