Susan B Anthony: A Feminist at
Her Finest
Harper McGoldrick
Senior Division
Historical Paper
Paper Length: 2,010 words
​Introducing the Woman Who Changed Society
Susan B. Anthony’s stand against gender discrimination changed the way women are
viewed in society. She accomplished this phenomenon by succeeding in multiple movements
including her anti-slavery actions, taking part of the Equal Rights Association, becoming the
founder of the Woman Suffrage Association, illegally casting a ballot to attract people’s attention
to sexism and eventually reaching her lifelong goal of putting an end to the quest for women’s
suffrage. Her movements not only attracted other women's attention to where they stand in
society, but eventually persuaded those women to take action too. This powerful woman had
several different ways in making sure she would reach her goal of equal rights.
The right to vote in America began in the colonial and revolutionary periods. In 1776
voting began with a simple rule- “ Only people who own land can vote.”1 The voting laws were
modified several times after this and soon landed on all men were eligible, but women still may
not participate in casting the ballot.
Susan realized she was not represented as stated in the Constitution. Susan B Anthony
played a huge role in making sure women were held at a high of a status as men. Anthony’s
most well known quote is “ Failure is impossible.” For Anthony there was only success.
​Early Life
Though she was happy with her life before becoming highly devoted to her work she
wanted nothing more than to express her feelings towards how she was seen in society. Susan
was born February 15,1820. She was immediately entering a world ruled entirely by men.
Anthony was the oldest of six children. Her family consisted of eight devoted family members.
Anthony’s family was Quaker, so her religion told her profusely that women were extremely
important. Her parents were both abolitionists. Susan and the rest her family soon enough
1
“​US Voting Rights Timeline” , 2004
followed in their footsteps. Anthony was a teacher while still an avid proponent of women’s
rights and anti-slavery . She strongly believed that everyone should be allowed the ability to not
only have an education, but to put their education to use. Being the strong and intelligent
woman she has become, she put her education into her speeches, movements, and writings.
She pondered the idea of becoming a full time reformer. With all her courage and belief in her
faith she was prepared for what was to come.
​First Steps Towards Equality
The first time Susan B Anthony began to get involved in women’s rights was at the
Seneca Falls Convention on July 19,1848. Not only did Susan become more educated on what
she was arguing, but she also had her first encounter with her lifelong partner and friend
Elizabeth Stanton. The two of them formally met on the edge of a street corner in 1851 when
they both had admired each other’s work and beliefs. Elizabeth stated post meeting Anthony for
the first time , “ There she stood, with her good earnest face and her genuine smile…. I liked her
thoroughly”2, and Susan stating “There was an intense connection right from the start”3. Their
friendship was so powerful they knew and convinced others, together they will accomplish
anything and everything. Elizabeth helped Susan have more knowledge on the political, social,
civil, and religious status of women. The first time Susan fully understood what was happening
to women in her nation however is a convention held for men when wives are allowed to sit and
attend, but only to listen. Stanton brought her to this convention and when Susan couldn’t hold
back any longer and began to speak the man immediately spoke over her and stated, “ The
women are not invited here to speak, but to listen and learn.” 4After arguing this statement a
2
3
4
Colman, page 34-35
Colman, page 37
Doris, page 82
witness later stated, “ she is a hybrid specie, half man and half women, belonging to neither
sex.”5
Moving Forward
After the outburst Susan went to Elizabeth ready to take action and do something about
the nonsense she had witnessed. She came to realization that, “without women’s rights to vote,
they are powerless.”6 Susan asked Canton to write speeches she could read at conventions.
Elizabeth agreed willingly but reminded Susan, “ anything from my pen is necessarily radical.” 7
Anthony was ready to give everything for her and others beliefs. They began immediately,
writing every day until they had perfected her well known speech speech. This speech would
take them farther than they could ever imagine.
The first convention officially lead by Anthony was held April 20, 1852 in Rochester, New
York. More than five hundred women showed, proving Susan’s organization skills. The
convention lead women to spread the word of Anthony and her campaigns. Soon there were
several more people asking for her to come speak. The word got out about the team of women
working together to end woman suffrage. Elizabeth agreed to continue with the writings for
Anthony as long as no problems are present with her family. Whenever it seemed the two were
going to part they would always come back to each other. They both maturely solved their
complications privately. Together their leadership would bring all women together.
A few months later Anthony attended a convention originally reserved for male
attendance only, but due to the recent situations chose to allow women to come and listen to
5
6
7
​Encyclopedia CC
Burns, ​Not Ourselves Alone
​ ​The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History
the male leaders. When a conversation under the topic of why a profession such as teaching is
not as much respected as that of a lawyer, doctor, or minister, Susan struggled to keep silent.
When she finally decided to speak, a man cut her off. The men in the room all had to take a vote
on whether or not they were going to allow the woman to speak in their presence. The vote
ruled in favor of Susan. She stood and knew her next words would determine whether she was
admired or despised by these men. She chose her words wisely stating, “It seems to me you fail
to comprehend the cause of the disrespect of which you complain. ​ Do you not see that so long
as society says woman has not brains enough to be a doctor,lawyer, or minister, but has plenty
to be a teacher, every man of you who condescends to teach, tacitly admits… that he has no
more brains than a woman?” 8
After Anthony made this bold statement she was highly despised. It seemed incredibly
unladylike to the men that she stood and spoke at their conference of “ such foolishness.”9 To
the women who admired her, these actions were just seen as bold. She faced extremely harsh
crowds at all of her speakings. Even so, she pushed herself to continue getting the word
around, hoping to find the right people who would appreciate her beliefs and stand with her in
these difficult times. Susan decided she needed to get her proposal out there, and embarked on
a five month journey, continually stopping to speak about her beliefs and visions. The way she
faced this adversity showed her ambition and strength. Though she felt no one would ever
support her idea again she pushed on believing there had to be more.
After finding only a few places she knew would support her proposal she returned home.
Susan was prepared to make a movement herself that would show her as powerful and cogent.
She was prepared to take matters into her own hands. Anthony decided to cast a ballot in New
8
The History Place, 2002
9
Bibliography Editors, 2004
York on November 5,1872. Her calculated risk was followed by fourteen other women, three of
those including her sisters. Those who followed were all aware of the risks and were willing to
take them for an act of justice. Through her resilients Susan was able to convince the men to
allow her to cast the vote along with her entourage. Anthony described their movement as them
as a whole group working together towards one goal. “It was we the people; not we, the white
male citizens; nor we the male citizens; but we the whole people, who formed the Union.” 10
Susan was soon reported for her act of injustice. The following year she was found guilty
of illegal voting. After the arrest she was soon released on bail. Susan used her time before the
next court hearing to find more individuals to continue on what she had started.
When she returned to court the jury came to a verdict. Susan would not have to serve
any jail time, but had to pay a fine of one hundred dollars. When ordered Susan would not stand
for this unjust movement and declared she would not be paying the fine. ​ Soon after her
punishment was given she was recorded saying, “ you have trampled underfoot every vital
principle of our government. My natural rights, my civil rights, my political rights, my judicial
rights are all alike ignored…. I shall never pay a dollar of your unjust penalty.”11 The judge
ordered another court hearing for Anthony’s case.
By June 1873 the trial had finished. The judge had reached a decision to drop all
charges on Anthony and let her go freely. Susan was of old age when all the commotion was
over. She continued to speak all around the world about her beliefs for women’s rights. She
lead several marches towards her cause and got as many people out as possible to spread the
word. Susan also used her free time, though very little was present, to pick up her hobby of
writing. She published the first volume of ​History of a Women’s Suffrage in the 1880s co-edited
by Ida Husted Harper. She had several volumes to follow, three to be exact. Later on in life she
10
11
Burns, ​Not Ourselves Alone
Ira, page 325
also helped Harper write her own story on Susan and her journey to accomplish women’s rights.
This book was titled ​The Life and Work of Susan B Anthony: A Story of the Evolution of the
Status of Women.
She fell upon the time where she realized her age was defeating her. Yet she noticed
the older she was, the wiser the public saw her. After one of her seminars she stated “ It seems
the older I become the greater power I have to help the world. I am like a snowball, the further I
go the more I gain.”12 Yet she still felt defeated knowing soon she will no longer be able to travel
and find others to carry on this journey she has put her whole life towards. She was fading
quickly and still had not accomplished her lifelong goal. She spoke to her sister days before her
death about how upsetting it was she have fought for this her whole life and won’t get to see the
outcome, “To think I have had more than sixty years of hard struggle for a little liberty and then
to die without it seems so cruel.”13
Carrying on her Legacy
Susan carried on her writing and passion up until the day that she passed. Anthony died
in her hometown of Rochester March 13, 1906. She passed of pneumonia at age ninety. “She
could no longer fight. The battle was over and in my eyes, she won.”14 , her lawyer stated soon
after her passing.
One hundred years from Anthony’s birth her dream had come true. Though she didn’t
live to see the 1921 refraction of the Nineteenth Amendment granting women the right to vote,
all who were behind the act knew she was the cause of it. Her achievements having touched the
lives of many. When the nineteenth amendment was added they named it in honor of her. In
June of 1920 more than eight million women went to polls to legally cast their ballots. The
Burns, ​Not Ourselves Alone
Burns, ​Not Ourselves Alone
14
American Civil War Facts
12
13
Susan B Anthony amendment has shown man that they are no stronger, more powerful, or
wiser than any woman.
​Reflecting on Importance
Susan B Anthony is one of the most significant women in history. Her motion gave
women a right that declared them as strong and significant. Not only did she allow women to
have the right of electing the president, but also changed the way women are viewed. She was
one of the first to put herself out there as strong and independent. Though she never was in
office, Anthony was the first great woman politician. She had that view of herself, that she
deserved more than what was given and should be treated just as equally as man. She wasn’t
afraid to stand up for what is right even if it involved her risking her life ahead. Anthony is well
known for her stance in women’s rights to vote, but has accomplished so much more. Women
are seen as powerful and strong. Susan B Anthony proved to society that when women work
together and put their minds to it, they can accomplish anything.
​Today
Though Susan B Anthony has been gone for a while now woman still honor her
to this day. In 2011 women began putting their “I voted” stickers on Susan’s grave. It was a
beautiful way to show how many lives Susan truly did impact. The woman who showed their
respect stated why they are doing so by saying, “ ...so it’s a way of being like look what legacy
you have left for us.”15, “ It is probably the best tribute you could offer Susan B Anthony at her
gravesite is to say I went out and voted today.”16 Her stance in history left a huge impact on
what lied ahead. Without her actions women would still feel unvaluable and useless to this
nation. Woman all over still thank Susan for her act of bravery that lead them to have control
over her rules over them. Her movements live on along with her legacy. Susan carries on
15
16
​“ I Voted Stickers on Susan B Anthony’s Gravestone”
“​I Voted Stickers on Susan B Anthony’s Gravestone”
having reminded women “ the fear women have is of themselves. We must not fear men. We
must strive forward. We will reach success.”17
17
​The History Place
Annotated Bibliography
Primary Sources
Explore Anthony. Https://www.pinterest.com/pin/391179917615748487/. These photos really
showed me what Anthony’s look was in her time. It also showed me the way some
people treated her. The picture really helped me put together what people would do back
in the day if you were disobedient.
​The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History.
www.gilderlehrman.org/history-by-era/politics-reform/resources/susan-b-anthony-suffrag
e-and-equal-rights-1901. Though this is a website it gave me much information to list it
as a primary source. The original document is what I looked at and used that was in this
article. Therefor I marked it as a primary source. The website contained an image of a
letter Susan B Anthony wrote explaining her rights as a woman in America. It also spoke
of her work at the time and what she was doing to stay busy when not fighting for
women’s rights. This document gave me lots of information on what kind of a writer she
was and what she used her time for.
“Susan B Anthony and the Struggle for Suffrage” [“Susan B Anthony and the Struggle for
Suffrage”]. ​Archives.gov, www.archives.gov/education/lessons/suffrage.html. This
website gave me amazing documents that were related to my topic. There were several
photos of both of Susan’s trials and investigations. These were original documents that
were really there at the time so that is why I am marking this source as primary. It gave
me many facts and also showed me exactly what facts from my sites were accurate. It
also gave me some other names of people that were involved in Anthony’s case.
“Susan B Anthony on Women’s Rights to Vote.” ​The History Place,
www.historyplace.com/speeches/anthony.htm. Though this is a website I am once again
marking it as a primary source because it is Susan B Anthony’s original words just
retyped in a different place. This site really showed me how she acted as a person. Seeing
what her words she spoke to millions of people really helped me have a better
understanding of everything she was going for. This source also gave me some really
great quotes to use in my paper.
“Susan B Anthony Quotes” [“Susan B Anthony Quotes”]. ​BrainyQuotes.com,
www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/s/susan_b_anthony.html. This source gave me
great quotes that Susan once said. It showed me how her words were powerful and took
much action. Not only that but her words spoke to me as an individual as well. It was
easy for me to realize why so many women risked everything to follow her movement
after reading these quotes. I feel this gave me a better understanding of not only Susan
but the topic she was fighting for. I also wanted to not that i'm going to mark this site as
primary because these are original quotes that Susan B Anthony said, just a different
person typed them up.
Secondary Sources
Bibliography.com editors. “Susan B Anthony Biography” [“Susan B Anthony Biography”].
Biography.com, A&E Television Network,
www.biography.com/people/susan-b-anthony-194905#synopsis. Accessed 12 Mar. 2015.
This website helped me learn more about Susan B Anthony’s early life before she took a
stand. It gave me a lot of information on how she came to be the woman that she was. It
also showed me why she decided to take a stand. Her religion was mentioned a lot in this
website with gave me a better understanding as to why she was so strongly opinionated
on the rights women should have. This website overall helped me a bit on the part of her
taking her stand but I got more information on her backstory and what made her, her.
“Biography of Susan B Anthony” [“Biography of Susan B Anthony”]. ​Susan B Anthony Museum
and House, 2013, susanbanthonyhouse.org/her-story/biography.php. Accessed 2013. This
source was much like most of my others.Overall the most I got out of it was learned more
about her as a person rather than her stand. Though this isn’t what I was looking for I
think it gave me better information on what she was like. It also gave me some good
information on her other movements other than just her making women able to vote.
“Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B Anthony.” ​America’s Story from America’s Library,
www.americaslibrary.gov/aa/stanton/aa_stanton_friends_1.html. This site did not give
me much information on Susan herself but more showed me how Elizabeth viewed
Susan. It gave me a better understanding on how the two got along together and what
they did to accomplish everything they did.
“I Voted” Stickers Put on Susan B Anthony’s Gravestone. This video gave me a lot of
information on how her actions impact today. It really helped me see how many people
her movement has affected and how many people still honor her for that stand.
Mini Bio- Susan B Anthony. Produced by Christian Martin and Tamara Kaiser, 2012. This video
gave me SO much information on everything Susan B Anthony. The video was an
interview with an expert on Anthony and she described absolutely everything. There was
a ton of information I got from this video basically everything in her time period was
discussed. This also demonstrated what Susan really had to face, it we'll described how
she got where she did and how hard it really was for her. Lastly, this source gave me
some amazing visuals on what time looked back in the time she was fighting. There was
a point in the video where it showed one of the women’s marches and it gave me an
amazing picture of how many people were really there supporting her in this movement.
Not Ourselves Alone. Directed by Ken Burns, PBS, 1999. This source gave me a lot of
information on how Susan B Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton worked together to
form a strong bond. This video gave me a lot of information on where Susan’s words
came from and how she worked through all her thoughts.
Peck, Ira. “Susan B Anthony Dares to Vote!” [“Susan B Anthony Dares to Vote!”].
Scholastic.com, TM, 2017, www.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=4973. This article
gave me lots of information on how Susan B Anthony got the idea to vote and how she
went through with her plan. Most of my information in my paper when I talk about her
plan for voting and how she succeeded this movement came from this article.
Penny Colman. ​Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B Anthony:ted A Friendship That Changed
the World. This book gave me an amazing view on how Susan saw Elizabeth. It showed
me how Susan got her speeches and clarified to me that though Elizabeth wrote the
speeches Susan had some say in what was being written. This source gave me a lot of
information that I used throughout my paper.
Stevens, Doris. ​Jailed for Freedom. This book helped me better understand the topic of women’s
rights. Though it didn’t give many examples of Susan herself making an impact it did
show me what women’s rights were valued and those that weren’t.
Susan B Anthony. Encyclopedia CC. This video helped me see what was behind Susan and her
actions. It gave me a lot of information of where she originally came from showing me
that she followed in her parents footsteps. It also showed me how her act in society
applies still today.
“Susan B Anthony” [“Susan B Anthony”]. ​National Park Service,
www.nps.gov/wori/learn/historyculture/susan-b-anthony.htm. This website gave me facts
about Anthony all throughout her years as a activist. It showed me how powerful her
movement really was. It also showed me how her movement have an affect on today.
“Susan B Anthony” [“Susan B Anthony”]. ​Susan B Anthony, 9 Dec. 2016,
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susan_B._Anthony. Accessed 9 Dec. 2016. Wikipedia was a good
site to get me started on Susan B Anthony when I first began writing this paper. I didn’t
know much about her and Wiki showed me a whole new side of Anthony that I didn’t
even know existed. It was a great site to enter me into this project.
“Susan B Anthony Biography” [“Susan B Anthony Biography”]. ​Encyclopedia of World
Biography, www.notablebiographies.com/An-Ba/Anthony-Susan-B.html. This website
gave me a lot of information on Susan and her movement on everything. However overall
I feel I used this site most for seeing what was before the time that she took a stand, what
influenced her to make a movement.
“Susan B Anthony Facts.” ​American Civil War Facts,
www.civil-war-facts.com/American-Civil-War-Women-Facts/Susan-B-Anthony-Facts.sh
tml. This article gave me a lot of information of Susan B Anthony as an activist.
“Susan B Anthony Facts.” ​Soft Schools,
www.softschools.com/facts/biography/susan_b_anthony_facts/805/. This website gave
me a lot of information on not only Susan’s stand in women suffrage but what else she
did to change this nation.
“Susan B Anthony Petition” [“Susan B Anthony Petition”]. ​National Archives,
www.archives.gov/education/lessons/woman-suffrage/anthony-petition.html. This
website is another one that gave me a primary source. In this website was pictures of
Susan B Anthony’s petition she made to allow women to vote. It has all the original
content. This source helped me see really how many people were on board with the idea
of women’s right to vote. It also shows me who participated in this. I think the most it
helped me with is I got a better understanding on what Susan was really looking for in
women’s rights.
Susan B Anthony- Quotes, Suffrage, Biography, Childhood, Accomplishments, Legacy (1995).
2014. This video helped me learn more about my topic on the side of her general
movement. This gave me a lot of information on why and how she came to do what she
did. It also gave me some great quotes that I ended up using in my paper. Her childhood
was well explained in this website as well as her careers and choices before that lead to
her doing what she did.
“U.S. Voting Rights Timeline.” ​PDF,
a.s.kqed.net/pdf/education/digitalmedia/us-voting-rights-timeline.pdf. This site gave me
information on how voting evolved.