At the 1840 World Anti-Slavery Convention in London, Lucretia Mott and other female delegates were denied the right to speak. Following this experience, Mott focused on both anti-slavery and women’s rights work for the rest of her life.

Mott, a Quaker minister, was already a respected reformer and speaker at the time of the 1848 Seneca Falls Convention—dates for the meeting were chosen to correspond with her visit to central New York, her presence lending weight to the gathering.

Although Mott lived in Philadelphia, she remained deeply involved in the movement in New York through her correspondence with her sister, Martha Coffin Wright, and friends. Mott was chosen to preside over numerous conventions, both local and national.