Elizabeth Blackwell America's First Woman Doctor

The Seneca Falls Convention In July 1848, hundreds of women and men traveled to Seneca Falls, New York. They held a big meeting about winning more rights for women. These included the right to vote and own property. They created their own declaration that echoed the U. S. Declaration of Independence: " . . . all men and women are created equal . . . " This was a radical idea for the time. American women gained the right to vote in 1919. Yet even today, many women still earn less than men for doing the same work-including doctors. A study in The Journal of the American Medical Association shows that, on average, a male doctor earns $12, 000 more a year than a female doctor. Against the Odds Today, it is difficult to imagine the limits that American girls and women faced in the 1840s. They could not vote. Fathers, husbands, and brothers controlled almost all businesses, homes, and money.