Although women did not have the same rights as men, they came to possess a mentality that was a force to be reckoned with in the fight for equality. In 1848 in Seneca Falls, New York, 150 women and 30 men met to contest the male sovereignty of the time. At this conference, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, an educated and married abolitionist, presented the “Declaration of Sentiments.” This document was a testament to the drastic changes the United States would have to undergo to include women in its widespread ideals. As the basis for their argument, the authors of the Seneca Falls Declaration used the Declaration of Independence to gain public attention and show the gravity of the situation. However, in his oration, Stanton changes the centralized male voice of the Declaration of Independence. Addressing self-evident truths, he stated that “all men and women are created equal” instead of the original phrase that excluded women (Anthony, Stanton, & Gage, 239). Their document was further structured with 18 complaints and 11 resolutions; each was intended to recognize women as equal members of society. Since the current government has “become destructive [of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness], it is right that those who suffer from it refuse to obey it and insist on the establishment of a new government” (Anthony, Stanton, & Gage, 240 ). Since women were entitled to an equal position with men, they demanded recognition of the rights that society currently denies them. The most controversial resolution presented at the conference was the will to vote. Women wanted this ability because they deserved to have a voice in the laws that would inevitably affect them. As free American citizens, it was their inalienable right to vote and have some form of representation in legislation. The Seneca Falls Conference and Declaration of Sentiments were just the beginning of a public fight for equality and women's rights. Even before this event, women's struggles in society were emerging in the media. Eliza Farnham, a married woman from Illinois in the late 1830s, expressed the differing opinions among men and women about the right relationships between husband and wife. While Farnham saw his wife as “a pleasant face to meet you when you come home from the field, or a sweet voice that speaks kind words when you are sick, or a kind friend to converse with you in your leisure hours,” a Farmer recently married man argued that a wife was useful “for cooking [for a man] and things like that, because it is easier for them than for [men]” (Farnham, 243).