Final answer:
Stanton used her deep understanding of history and equality principles foundational to the American ethos to advocate for women's rights, emphasizing universal suffrage and connecting the struggle with the abolitionist movement.
Step-by-step explanation:
Elizabeth Cady Stanton crafted a powerful argument for women's rights by utilizing her superior intellect and profound knowledge of history to counter the prevailing justifications for denying women suffrage. She pointed out the irony in men's actions of claiming to protect women while also barring them from their rights as citizens, and strategically utilized the language of equality, which was foundational to the American ethos. Stanton underscored the inconsistencies and hypocrisies in the arguments made by opponents to women's suffrage, insisted that women should have autonomy in defining their roles, and amplified her stance by connecting the women's rights movement with the broader abolitionist causes, stressing the need for universal suffrage. In doing so, she built upon the momentum of societal transformations during Reconstruction, framing women's suffrage as critical to the evolution of a more just and egalitarian society.