MEET SUSAN B ANTHONY

Anthony was born February 15, 1820, in Adams, Massachusetts to a Quaker family. Susan learned to read and write by the age of three as she was a very intelligent child. She was heavily influenced by the social and political problems around her and believed women should have the same rights as men. When she moved to Rochester, New York, her social circle included anti-slavery activist Frederick Douglass and journalist William Lloyed Garrison. When Anthony became a member of The Society of Friends, she valued equality for everyone and so did the Quakers. In 1837, her father sent her to Friends' Seminary where she furthered her education.

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The Anthony's were active in many movements to increase equality and even served a meetinghouse in their home. Anthony had discovered that men were being paid more than female teachers while working as a teacher which greatly encouraged her to fight for gender equality more. In 1863, Anthony and others such as Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucy Stone created the Women's Loyal National League to pressure an amendment to abolish slavery. Anthony and Stanton had formed a friendship and during this time, the 14th and 15th Amendment was being put in place. The 15th amendment stated that everyone no matter race could vote, however Anthony and Staton believed that everyone should be allowed to vote no matter race or gender. In 1869, Anthony and Stanton had formed the National Woman's Suffrage Association (NWSA). This association had opposed the 15th Amendment since it did not grant everyone the right to vote, gender-wise. Later on, the NWSA switched its focus to get a whole separate constitutional amendment.

Anthony had voted in the 1872 presidential election but on November 18th, she was arrested for illegally voting however was granted bail. Moving on, after this trial she had given lectures around the country on how it was a "crime to vote" which the prosecutor complained about and the trial had moved forward. The judge did not sentence her to prison time, which didn't allow her to have an appeal to take this case to the US Supreme Court but this trial definitely gained recognition. Anthony had spent most of her life advocating for the rights of women and gender equality alongside the NWSA, which she became the president of in 1892. On March 18, 1906, Anthony had passed away due to heart failure and pneumonia in Rochester. As she did not get to be there to see what we know now as the 19th Amendment, she has contributed her whole life to protecting women's rights and went through many hardships for it. We now look at her contributions to changing society for the better and improving conditions for all.