The Declaration of Sentiments is written deliberately in the manner of the US Declaration of Independence, copying its preamble almost word-for-word as well as emulating its general structure. The purpose was to remind readers that though the original Declaration asserted the rights of free men, those liberties and privileges apply to all human beings, including women. The original Declaration, elegantly composed by Thomas Jefferson, might have sounded antique to 19th-century readers, but its words were known and loved by most Americans. The hope was that its style and pacing would rekindle old passions for liberty and fair treatment and redirect them toward a drive to emancipate women.

The Declaration of Sentiments makes specific changes to the older wording. For example: “We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men and women are created equal” (Paragraph 2) adds “and women” to emphasize that the natural rights claimed in America’s founding document belong to women as well as men.

As in the original Declaration, the middle section devotes itself to a “list of horribles”—listing injustices at the hands of men instead of grievances against a faraway military power—including 16 instances of political, social, and even religious abuse against women.