Miss Anthony's father, mother and sister Mary had attended and signed the declaration demanding equal rights for women, and she found them enthusiastic upon this subject and also over Mrs.Stanton, Lucretia Mott and other prominent women who had taken part.

Her cousin, Sarah Anthony Burtis, had acted as secretary of the convention.
In 1849 Mrs.Mott published her admirable Discourse on Woman in answer to a lyceum lecture by Richard H.Dana ridiculing the idea of civil and political rights for women.

In 1847 Frederick Douglass had brought his family to Rochester and established his paper, the North Star.

As soon as Miss Anthony reached home she was taken by her father to call on Douglass, and this was the beginning of another friendship which was to last a lifetime.
The year 1849 saw the whole country in a state of great unrest and excitement.

Eighty thousand men had gone to California in search of gold.