The first wave of feminism emerged amid industrialization and political reform, focusing on women’s suffrage and civic participation. Sparked by the 1848 Seneca Falls Convention, where Elizabeth Cady Stanton’s Declaration of Sentiments called for equality, this wave united abolitionist, temperance, and suffrage movements. Women like Sojourner Truth and others challenged the “cult of domesticity,” advocating for political and moral recognition in public life. These early efforts established the foundation for future feminist struggles by asserting women’s right to shape society and governance.¹¹