Document: "Woman's Protection Union," North Star, 15 Sept 1848

(Don't sign into your account for a few months and they go and change things up and you end up spending an hour just trying to muddle your way back in. Lesson learned.)

From the North Star,15 September 1848:

Woman's Protection Union

    At meeting held August 18^th, 1848, a the Hall of the Mechanic’ Protection the following Preamble and Constitution were adopted, viz:
     Whereas, These truths are self-evident, that all women as well as men, are created equal -- that they are endowed alike with inherent and inalienable rights -- that the laws of nature and nature’s God, entitle them equally with men to the products of their labor or its equivalent; and Whereas, the usages and customs of society are such at the present day as to exert a prejudicial influence on woman as a class -- having a tendency to oppress and injure, rather than elevate and benefit -- to degrade and impoverish, rather than enrich and enlighten -- to encroach upon their rights and privileges -- to subvert their best interests, making them subservient to the will of man -- to obstruct, if not entirely to close all avenues leading to those stations of honor and respectability to which nature and right of equality so justly entitle them -- and whereas, individual effort is found insufficient to correct the existing evils of society in this respect:
     Therefore, We whose names are hereunto annexed, do agree to associate ourselves together for the purpose of our individual and collective benefit and protection -- and for the purpose of securing harmonious actions, we do adopt the following.

constitution

                 Article 1. The name of this Society shall be “Woman’s Protection Union,” of the city of Rochester, and shall be composed of such persons as will sign this Constitution.
                Article 2. The officers shall be a President, Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer, who shall hold their offices for the term of six months.
                Article 3. Each woman on becoming a member, shall pay the sum of five cents; each man, the sum of twenty-five cents; but when the time shall arrive that woman receive an equality of remuneration for the same labor performed as men -- then this inequality of assessment shall cease.
                Article 4. The weekly dues shall be one cent for women and two cents for men.
                Article 5. The regular Meetings of the Society, shall be held on Friday, semi-monthly -- and ten members may form a quorum.
                The officers of the Society for the present term, are,
Mrs. ROBERTS, President
Mrs. Cavan, Vice-President.
Miss. S.C. Owens, Secretary.
Mrs. Amy Post, Treasurer.
The Regular Meeting will be held on Friday, September 15^th, at half past 6 P.M., at the Hall of Mechanics’ Protection, where the friends of the movement are respectfully invited to attend and give such counsel, assistance and support, as may be in their power.
                SARAH C. OWENS, Secretary.