Proceedings of the Woman's Rights Convention, Akron, Ohio, 1851

What it is

This is a printed booklet recording the proceedings of a Woman's Rights Convention held in Akron, Ohio, on 28 and 29 May 1851. Its author is unknown, but it was printed in Cincinnati that same year.

Why it matters

This convention is remembered as the place where Sojourner Truth delivered one of her best-known speeches on women's rights and abolition. The printed proceedings are a rare primary record of what organizers and attendees said and debated at an early women's rights meeting in the United States.

Look closer

• Why might organizers have wanted a printed record of the convention's proceedings?
• What does the plain, businesslike title page tell you about how seriously the organizers treated their meeting?
• What might be missing from an official printed record of a live event?