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Eleazer Cady was Elizabeth's only living brother who died at age 20 when she was 11yo. Mourning the death of his son, Elizabeth's father told her, "Oh, my daughter, I wish you were a boy!" She had a close relationship with her father, and his statement was not meant to shame her, but to express his frustration towards society- likely igniting her passion for justice. elizabethcadystanton.org
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Despite excelling in academics and studying law with her father, she was not allowed a college degree or entrance to the New York Bar exam for law. Studying law exposed to her the injustices against women evidently written into our society and government at the time, which most likely caused her to become even more determined to change it. Library of Congress
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After marrying abolitionist Harry Stanton, they attended the World Anti-Slavery Convention, where women weren't allowed to speak. Despite fighting against slavery, a majority of those men were oppressing women at the same time. Then, she realized that women had to take action & fight for their own rights. This led to her & Lucretia Mott holding the 1st Women's Rights Convention in 1848. WomenHistory.org
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300 people attended the convention to organize and discuss women's rights led by Elizabeth. The Declaration of Sentiments was published. All of their resolutions were unanimously supported except for one- the right to vote. Though not many of her colleagues supported her fight for women's right to vote, that pushed her resolve to be even stronger. This began the women's suffrage movement. History.com