Despite disagreements over the 15th Amendment, she remained close friends with Frederick Douglass, both advocating for universal equality.
She initially became active in the temperance movement, advocating for laws restricting alcohol, but was denied the right to speak at meetings because she was a woman.
Raised in a Quaker household, she was taught that men and women were equals, shaping her dedication to women's rights and social reform.
Susan B. Anthony was born on February 15, 1820, in Adams, Massachusetts, into a Quaker family that valued education and social justice.
Anthony's father ensured she received a strong education, which was uncommon for girls in the early 19th century, fostering her lifelong commitment to learning and reform.
Before activism, she worked as a teacher, earning far less than her male colleagues. This injustice fueled her fight for equal pay and women's rights.
During her trial for illegal voting, Anthony was not allowed to testify and was found guilty, a case that brought national attention to women's suffrage.
In defiance of the law, Anthony voted in the 1872 presidential election and was arrested and fined US$100, which she refused to pay as an act of protest.
In 1851, Anthony met Elizabeth Cady Stanton, forming a lifelong partnership that became the foundation of the women's suffrage movement.
Anthony tirelessly petitioned Congress for women's voting rights, gathering thousands of signatures and pressuring lawmakers for change.
She established The Revolution newspaper in 1868, using it to promote women's rights and suffrage with the slogan, "Men, their rights and nothing more; women, their rights and nothing less."
In 1869, Anthony and Stanton founded the National Woman Suffrage Association (NWSA) to push for a constitutional amendment granting women the right to vote.
She traveled extensively, giving speeches in every state, tirelessly advocating for women's suffrage despite hostility and resistance.
Anthony and Stanton published 'The Woman's Bible' (1895), challenging religious justifications for female inferiority, sparking controversy even among suffragists.
While supporting civil rights, Anthony opposed the 15th Amendment because it granted Black men the vote but excluded women.
She later collaborated with Black suffragists and reformers, including Hester C. Jeffrey, acknowledging the shared fight for civil rights and women's equality.
In 2020, President Donald Trump posthumously pardoned Susan B. Anthony for voting illegally in 1872, but historians argue she wouldn't have wanted it, as she viewed her conviction with pride.
In 1979, she became the first woman featured on a US coin when the Susan B. Anthony dollar was issued.
Susan B. Anthony's work laid the foundation for modern gender equality movements, making her one of the most influential figures in American history.
Sources: (National History Women's Museum) (Britannica) (History) (CNN)
When the 19th Amendment was finally introduced, granting women the right to vote, it was often called the "Susan B. Anthony Amendment" in recognition of her efforts.
Her home in Rochester, New York, is now a museum, preserving her legacy and contributions to women's rights.
Anthony helped draft the first version of what later became the 19th Amendment, which was introduced to Congress in 1878 but took over 40 years to pass.
Anthony worked with global women's rights leaders and attended international conferences, spreading the fight for women's suffrage worldwide.
She helped form the International Council of Women (ICW) in 1888, uniting various women's organizations to strengthen advocacy efforts.
She met President Theodore Roosevelt in 1905, urging him to support women's suffrage, though he declined to take action.
Anthony was deeply involved in the abolitionist movement, working with Frederick Douglass and William Lloyd Garrison (pictured) to end slavery in the US.
Anthony never married, believing it would interfere with her activism, famously stating, "I never found the man who was necessary to my happiness."
Anthony died on March 13, 1906, at age 86, 14 years before women gained the right to vote in 1920.
In 1906, shortly before her death, she delivered her last public speech, declaring, "Failure is impossible," inspiring suffragists to continue the fight.
Susan B. Anthony was a relentless advocate for women's rights, best known for her pivotal role in the fight for women's suffrage in the United States. A passionate reformer, she also championed abolition, equal pay, and education rights. Her efforts helped lay the foundation for the 19th Amendment, granting women the right to vote. Though she didn't live to see its passage, her legacy endures as a symbol of perseverance, justice, and the ongoing fight for equality.
Click through the gallery to learn more about her life and legacy.
The life and legacy of Susan B. Anthony
The trailblazing champion of women's suffrage in the United States
LIFESTYLE History
Susan B. Anthony was a relentless advocate for women's rights, best known for her pivotal role in the fight for women's suffrage in the United States. A passionate reformer, she also championed abolition, equal pay, and education rights. Her efforts helped lay the foundation for the 19th Amendment, granting women the right to vote. Though she didn't live to see its passage, her legacy endures as a symbol of perseverance, justice, and the ongoing fight for equality.
Click through the gallery to learn more about her life and legacy.