Women were not considered equals in the early 1800s. Women were afraid of women playing a significant role in society. It took decades before women’s liberation and the end to slavery became a reality. Susan B. Anthony teamed up with Daughters of Temperance to fight slavery and help American women. Anthony fought tirelessly until she died to end slave trade and ensure women’s voting rights, both of which brought America much benefit. She would only see one of these struggles through to completion in her lifetime. First, let’s look at Anthony’s childhood. It is important to explore in depth the actions Anthony performed to advance Temperance. Third, this section will describe the steps she took in order to advance the Anti-Slavery Movement. This essay will examine Anthony’s actions to promote women’s rights in the fourth section. The Women’s Loyal National League will be the fifth thing to explore. The essay will also explore Anthony’s role in the Equal Rights Association of America.
Anthony was conceived on February 15th, 1820, in Adams Massachusetts. Susan Brownell Anthony is her full-name, but she has never used it. Anthony was brought up as a Quaker. She was a teacher most of her adult life. She was also a speaker, writer and amazing leader.
Anthony was raised in a Quaker home that did not drink. Her family and she believed the United States needed stronger alcohol laws. Anthony began by trying to equalize pay among teachers. When she failed, she shifted her focus on the Temperance campaign. Anthony joined Daughters of Temperance to become more involved with the Temperance movement.
Anthony joined Daughter of Temperance for the first time in 1848, and gave her first public speech that year. Seneca Falls Convention also took place at this time. This event was very important in promoting women’s equality. Anthony was asked to listen to the Sons of Temperance because of her gender. Anthony’s failure to speak in this event inspired the creation of the Women’s Temperance Society. She later became the president of the Rochester branch.
Anthony founded Women’s state Temperance Society, a women’s temperance society in Rochester (New York), on April 20, 1852. Anthony, with Elizabeth Cady Stanton as president, was responsible for the founding of the Women’s state Temperance Society. They wanted to improve public education. The women who were in bad marriages were encouraged to divorce. This was a bold statement at the time. They were not anti-religion, as many believed. Both women were Quaker religiously raised.
Anthony was appointed agent of the American Anti-Slavery Movement in 1856. She organized meetings, gave speeches and created posters. She was not popular because she played such an important role in the movement. She was a threat to her while she was a member of the movement. During her speeches, people would throw things at her.
Anthony was one of the leading abolitionists in her own family. Her whole family tried to end slavery. They held meetings in their home to allow people to voice their opinions. Anthony worked together with William Lloyd & Frederick Douglass on the end of slavery. She delivered many speeches against the slavery, but received threats because she was female.
Anthony led many causes, such as the Women’s Suffrage Movement. Stanton assisted her in this and they both traveled to give speeches that would encourage women, as well as men. Anthony became the face of the movement because of her work in temperance, equal rights, and anti-slavery. Anthony was furious after the 14th/15th amendments were passed, giving African American males voting rights.
Seneca Falls gathered women from all over the country in Seneca Falls for a meeting in 1848. This event was instrumental in starting the suffrage campaign. Irony of the convention, Anthony wasn’t there but her sister and mother were. Stanton met her sister and mother, who believed that Anthony and she would be good friends. Stanton and Anthony met three years later. Her sister and mother were right. They quickly became friends.
Anthony traveled a good deal because she led many movements. Anthony traveled the world for women’s empowerment. She delivered many speeches to women and gathered signatures. She was hated wherever she went. The idea of a woman leading an event or speaking at one was frowned upon. She was hurled things, received death threats and had other things thrown. She continued to be a leader in the fight for women’s equality despite all of this. Fourteen years after Anthony’s death, women finally got the vote.
Anthony was not in agreement with Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation. They wanted signatures to support the 13th Amendment. Over 400,000 signatures were collected. This would not have been possible without assistance. Charles Sumner, a senator from Massachusetts, was one of the people who helped collect signatures. Sumer initiated the signatures which led to the 13th Amendment.
Stanton was a great friend and partner to Anthony. Anthony, then 31, was working with Stanton. Stanton died of a cardiac arrest in 1902, after which they continued to work together. Stanton founded the Women’s National Loyal League. She wanted to stop the American Civil War using constitutional amendments. Together, they managed to gather 5,000 supporters. Members were women who stopped working for women’s voting because of war.
American Equal Rights Association, founded in 1866 by May 10, lasted from 1866 to 1869. The event was first organized during the Eleventh National Woman’s Rights Convention. They wanted AERA to support and follow the 16th Amendment. Anthony received help from AERA President Lucretia mott in the Kansas campaign.
Sadly, the Association lasted only three years and ended in 1869. Anthony failed to get the support of other leaders for the 16th Amendment. Her and Stanton joined another Association. The National Woman’s Suffrage Association was this association.
Anthony and 15 women who had voted only a couple of days prior were arrested. They were allowed to leave despite her refusal to pay the bond fee. Anthony was arrested for the same crime again. Her judge again paid her bail after she refused to do so. Anthony’s voting was the catalyst for a social movement. Around the United States, only 16 women were able to vote.
She travels to the women’s work to speak to them and encourage them to vote. She wanted people to understand that women have the right to vote under the 14th Amendment. Anthony didn’t care about going to prison and would fight this regardless of what it meant to her.
Anthony was found guilty by an all-male jury in January 1873. She refused to pay the fine of 100 dollars. She was not sent to jail despite the fact that she had not paid her bail. She was not sent to prison by her judge. This case gave women the voice they needed. Happersett v. Minor was also a turning point for women in leadership.
Anthony died in Rochester, New York on March 13, 1906. Heart failure and pneumonia were the cause of her death. She continued to fight for women’s equality until her death. She said, “Failure cannot be possible”. She knew she would see the end of her fight, which was finally achieved. 14 years following her death, the women’s vote was granted. Anthony is credited by many with ensuring women have their right to vote. She spent her entire lifetime fighting for many causes but the main one was women. Anthony is responsible for women having a voice in today’s world.
Anthony owns a dollar-sized coin that was made in 1979. The coin wasn’t produced until 1981. The coin was discontinued because people believed it to be a quarter. The coin features the phrase “In God We Trust”, and a date. The coin was first picked up in 1999, but soon stopped. Today, the coin is worth about 12 dollars.
Anthony lived many years at her home in Rochester. The Susan B. Anthony Museum is located in the home. It was in this house that she famously was arrested and took her last breath. The home is open for tours and many events are held there. You can donate in the shop. When people donate, they help to keep Anthony’s Museum open.
Anthony worked tirelessly throughout her life to ensure women’s rights and end slavery. This would ultimately benefit Americans after her death. To prove this, we must first examine Anthony’s life in its entirety. The second step is to examine in depth the actions Anthony took to promote Temperance. Thirdly, we explained in detail the actions taken to advance the Anti-Slavery Movement. We then looked at the ways Anthony was able to help advance women’s rights. Fifthly, the Women’s Loyal National League was examined in depth. This essay concludes by examining Anthony’s role in the Equal Rights Association. The struggles that Anthony and others went through in order to give women the voting right and to abolish slavery makes us grateful for our time.
