Susan B. Anthony
Susan B. Anthony, a woman with a huge role in society, was born in Adams, Massachusetts in February 15th, 1820. Susan was the second oldest of seven, many of them also became very involved in society during their life. Her family was Quaker and very involved which installed a strong sense of justice and moral in Susan and her siblings. Her dad, Daniel, born into the Quaker religion, was a cotton manufacturer. He was also an abolitionist! When Susan and her brother and sisters were growing up, Daniel didn’t allow toys or fun into his house, believing amusement would distract from the “inner light.” When Daniel and Susan’s mom, Lucy, married, she was very causus with marrying a Quaker but became okay with it. As parents, they were huge promoters of self-discipline!
As a child, Susan was very smart and learned to read and write at 3. When Antony turned six, the family moved to New York and was sent to a local school. The teacher refused to teach Susan though, since she was a girl. She was then placed into a home school group where Daniel taught her himself. This was one of the first points that led Anthony to become involved in women equality.
Later in Susan’s life, she began teaching as the Anthony's went in and out of debt. She ended up becoming head mistress at the Canajoharie Academy. There, she was inspired to fight for woman’s wages to be the same as male’s because even though females did the same work as males, they were paid 4 times better. At 29 and with 25 years of teaching under her belt, she quit teaching and began to take part in conventions that dealt with the temperance movement. Even though she took part in the temperance movement, she wasn’t allowed to actually speak at the rallies due to her gender. Meeting people while taking part in the temperance movement led her to join the women’s right movement, soon dedicating her life to woman suffrage.
When she started to go to the Unitarian Church, she grew farther and farther away from the Quakers and actually became agnostic because she was reprimanded from doing things against religions.
Even though when she was young she was very shy, she ended up being a huge role in the anti-slavery and temperance movements. She was a big public speaker for those and women’s rights and was became a huge “spokesperson” for the movements.
In 1868, Antony published a women’s rights weekly journal and worked as a publisher and manager. The Revolution promoted woman equality as well as African-American rights.
Before her death she was asked if women would ever be able to vote and she replied, “it will come, but I shall not see it.” She was also known to say, “Failure is impossible.” She died 14 years before the 19 amendment was put into place, in 1906 at age 86.
Sources:
Susan B. Anthony House Page
Comments
Good summary but be sure to include personal thoughts!