Susan B. Anthony
Pivotal women's rights activist and suffragist
Susan B. Anthony was born on February 15, 1820, and died on March 13, 1906. She was an American activist for social reform and women’s rights, most famous for her work in the women’s suffrage movement. Raised in a Quaker household that valued social equality, she began gathering signatures on anti-slavery petitions when she was just 17. By 1856, she was serving as the New York state agent for the American Anti-Slavery Society.
In 1851, Anthony met Elizabeth Cady Stanton, who became her lifelong partner in reform work, especially for women’s rights. After being denied the chance to speak at a temperance conference simply because she was a woman, the two founded the New York Women’s State Temperance Society. During the Civil War, they established the Women’s Loyal National League, which ran the largest petition drive in U.S. history up to that point, gathering nearly 400,000 signatures to end slavery. Following the war, they created the American Equal Rights Association, pushing for equal rights for both women and African Americans. In 1868, they launched a women’s rights newspaper called *The Revolution*. A year later, they founded the National Woman Suffrage Association, which emerged from a split in the women’s movement. That split was formally resolved in 1890 when their group merged with the rival American Woman Suffrage Association to form the National American Woman Suffrage Association, with Anthony as its driving force. Starting in 1876, Anthony, Stanton, and Matilda Joslyn Gage worked together on what eventually became the six-volume *History of Woman Suffrage*. Though their interests later diverged somewhat, Anthony and Stanton remained close friends.
In 1872, Anthony was arrested in her hometown of Rochester, New York, for voting, which was illegal because only men could vote. Her trial was widely publicized, and she was convicted. She refused to pay the fine, but authorities did not pursue the matter further. In 1878, Anthony and Stanton arranged for an amendment granting women the right to vote to be presented to Congress. Senator Aaron A. Sargent introduced it, and it later became known as the Susan B. Anthony Amendment. It was eventually ratified as the Nineteenth Amendment in 1920.
Anthony traveled extensively for women’s suffrage, delivering between 75 and 100 speeches each year and working on many state-level campaigns. She also worked internationally, playing a key role in founding the International Council of Women, which still exists today. She helped organize the World’s Congress of Representative Women at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago.
When she first began campaigning for women’s rights, Anthony faced harsh ridicule and was accused of trying to destroy marriage. But public opinion shifted dramatically during her lifetime. Her 80th birthday was celebrated at the White House at the invitation of President William McKinley. She became the first female citizen to appear on U.S. coinage when her portrait was used on the 1979 dollar coin.
Susan Anthony was born on February 15, 1820, in Adams, Massachusetts, to Daniel Anthony and Lucy Read Anthony. She was the second-oldest of seven children. She was named after her maternal grandmother Susanah and her father’s sister Susan. As a young woman, she and her sisters joined a trend of adding middle initials to their names. Anthony chose “B.” because her aunt Susan had married a man named Brownell. Anthony never used the name Brownell herself and disliked it.
Her family was deeply committed to social reform. Her brothers Daniel and Merritt moved to Kansas to support the anti-slavery movement there. Merritt fought alongside John Brown against pro-slavery forces during the Bleeding Kansas crisis. Daniel later owned a newspaper and became mayor of Leavenworth. Anthony’s sister Mary, with whom she shared a home later in life, worked as a public school principal in Rochester and was also a women’s rights activist.
Anthony’s father was an abolitionist and temperance advocate. As a Quaker, he had a strained relationship with his traditionalist congregation, which rebuked him for marrying a non-Quaker and later disowned him for allowing a dance school in his home. He continued attending Quaker meetings anyway and grew even more radical in his beliefs. Her mother was a Baptist and helped raise the children in a more tolerant version of her husband’s faith. Their father encouraged all his children—girls and boys alike—to be self-supporting, teaching them business principles and giving them responsibilities early on.
When Anthony was six, her family moved to Battenville, New York, where her father managed a large cotton mill. He had previously run his own small cotton factory. At age 17, she was sent to a Quaker boarding school in Philadelphia, where she found the strict and sometimes humiliating atmosphere unpleasant. She had to leave after one term because the Panic of 1837 ruined her family financially. They were forced to sell everything at auction, but her maternal uncle bought most of their belongings and returned them. To help support her family, Anthony left home to teach at a Quaker boarding school.
In 1845, the family moved to a farm on the outskirts of Rochester, New York, bought partly with her mother’s inheritance. There they became active in the anti-slavery movement, associating with a group of Quaker social reformers who had left their congregation because it restricted reform work. In 1848, this group formed a new organization.
- born
- February 15, 1820
- died
- March 13, 1906
- field
- Social reform, women's rights activism
- nationality
- American
- known_for
- Women's suffrage movement, arrest for voting in 1872, namesake of the Nineteenth Amendment
Lore & Background
Susan Anthony was born on February 15, 1820, to Daniel Anthony and Lucy Read Anthony in Adams, Massachusetts, the second-oldest of seven children. She was named for her maternal grandmother Susanah, and for her father's sister Susan. In her youth, she and her sisters responded to a 'great craze for middle initials' by adding middle initials to their own names. Anthony adopted 'B.' as her middle initial because her namesake Aunt Susan had married a man named Brownell. Anthony never used the name Brownell herself, and did not like it. Her family shared a passion for social reform. Her brothers Daniel and Merritt moved to Kansas to support the anti-slavery movement there. Merritt fought with John Brown against pro-slavery forces during the Bleeding Kansas crisis. Daniel eventually owned a newspaper and became mayor of Leavenworth. Anthony's sister Mary, with whom she shared a home in later years, became a public school principal in Rochester, and a woman's rights activist. Anthony's father was an abolitionist and a temperance advocate. A Quaker, he had a difficult relationship with his traditionalist congregation, which rebuked him for marrying a non-Quaker, and then disowned him for allowing a dance school to operate in his home. He continued to attend Quaker meetings anyway and became even more radical in his beliefs. Anthony's mother was a Baptist and helped raise their children in a more tolerant version of her husband's religious tradition. Their father encouraged them all, girls as well as boys, to be self-supporting, teaching them business principles and giving them responsibilities at an early age. When Anthony was six years old, her family moved to Battenville, New York, where her father managed a large cotton mill. Previously he had operated his own small cotton factory. When she was seventeen, Anthony was sent to a Quaker boarding school in Philadelphia, where she unhappily endured its strict and sometimes humiliating atmosphere. She was forced to end her studies after one term because her family was financially ruined during an economic downturn known as the Panic of 1837. They were forced to sell everything they had at an auction, but they were rescued by her maternal uncle, who bought most of their belongings and restored them to the family. To assist her family financially, Anthony left home to teach at a Quaker boarding school. In 1845, the fami
Reader's Guide
In 1851, she met Elizabeth Cady Stanton, who became her lifelong friend and co-worker in social reform activities, primarily in the field of women's rights. Together they founded the New York Women's State Temperance Society after Anthony was prevented from speaking at a temperance conference because she was female. During the Civil War they founded the Women's Loyal National League, which conducted the largest petition drive in United States history up to that time, collecting nearly 400,000 signatures in support of the abolition of slavery. After the war, they initiated the American Equal Rights Association, which campaigned for equal rights for all, including both women and African Americans. They began publishing a women's rights newspaper in 1868 called The Revolution. A year later, they founded the National Woman Suffrage Association as part of a split in the women's movement. The split was formally healed in 1890 when their organization merged with the rival American Woman Suffrage Association to form the National American Woman Suffrage Association, with Anthony as its key force. Anthony and Stanton began working with Matilda Joslyn Gage in 1876 on what eventually grew into the six-volume History of Woman Suffrage. The interests of Anthony and Stanton diverged somewhat in later years, but the two remained close friends. In 1872, Anthony was arrested in her hometown of Rochester, New York, for voting in violation of laws that allowed only men to vote. She was convicted in a widely publicized trial. Although she refused to pay the fine, the authorities declined to take further action. In 1878, Anthony and Stanton arranged for Congress to be presented with an amendment giving women the right to vote. Introduced by Senator Aaron A. Sargent, it later became known colloquially as the Susan B. Anthony Amendment. It was eventually ratified as the Nineteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution in 1920. Anthony traveled extensively in support of women's suffrage, giving as many as 75 to 100 speeches per year and working on many state campaigns. She worked internationally for women's rights, playing a key role in creating the International Council of Women, which is still active. She also helped to bring about the World's Congress of Representative Women at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893. When she first began campaigning for women's rights,
Did You Know?
- Anthony was the second-oldest of seven children.
- The Women's Loyal National League collected nearly 400,000 signatures in support of the abolition of slavery.
Notable Quotes (Wikiquote)
"Susan Brownell Anthony (15 February 1820 – 13 March 1906) was an American civil rights leader who, along with Elizabeth Cady Stanton, led the effort to secure Women's suffrage in the United States." — Susan B. Anthony "The men and women of the North are slaveholders, those of the South slaveowners. The guilt rests on the North equally with the South." — Susan B. Anthony "Many Abolitionists have yet to learn the ABC of woman's rights." — Susan B. Anthony "I do not demand equal pay for any women save those who do equal work in value. Scorn to be coddled by your employers; make them understand that you are in their service as workers, not as women." — Susan B. Anthony
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