Prior to the mid-19th century it was justified that because women were poorly educated, due to circumstances they could not control, they would be ignorant voters. In order to get the respect of men, the women from the Seneca Falls Conference knew they had to gain their "freedom" in this male dominated society. Not that they were slaves like the blacks, but in a sense they were slaves to the stereotype that they were not as smart or able as men. One of the first things they had to achieve was economic independence from men. This was absolutely necessary to freedom because if you are not economically independent then you can easily be coerced into doing things against your will.
Racial equality was another movement in the mid-19th century that was important in America's history. Frederick Douglass, a famous abolitionist, said in his essay, The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro, that, "The fourth of July is yours (the white man), not mine (the black man)" (p.1). This date means nothing to him because he and his people are still not free. An important opinion that Douglass entertains, and Tocqueville agrees with, is that due to slavery, slaves were incapable of knowing how to be free. Slavery was abolished in 1865, however, the blacks that were freed had no education and were therefore not very intelligent. Similar to the French citizens after their own revolution, blacks did not know what to do with their newfound freedom because they had been excessively dependant on their masters. After one hundred years and now with educated followers, blacks were able to start the Civil Rights movement which created more freedoms for their people.
The movements for gender and racial equality took place during virtually the same time period. During this era the understanding of freedom and equality in America changed drastically from something that could only be appreciated by a portion of the country to something that could be appreciated by the whole country.
