Susan B. Anthony Women’s Right To Vote

Susan B. Anthony Susan lived at a time when women couldn’t vote. They could get arrested if they tried. Susan felt that this was wrong and wanted to change the world’s view on women.

Susan B. Anthony She wanted women and men to be treated the same. Most people during the 1800’s felt that women couldn’t make decisions. They couldn’t get paid when they worked and owned no property.

Susan B. Anthony Susan’s family belonged to a Quaker church. Quakers were a religious group that wanted everyone to be treated equally. Within the Quaker church everyone was treated the same.

Susan B. Anthony Susan saw her aunt speak at church and felt that she could do the same thing. Speaking up as a woman was hard. Most people felt that they should just not say anything. Susan grew up in a family that gave her the same opportunities as boys. She grew up to be very independent: being free to make one’s own decisions.

Susan B. Anthony Since teaching was one of the few jobs that women could do Susan became a teacher. She got paid less than her male workers for doing the same job. She complained and lost her job. She got a new job as the principal of the Girls’ Department at Canajoharie Academy in New York.

Susan B. Anthony She worked as the principal for ten years but she wanted to do more to make sure people got treated fairly (justice) Susan lived during the time of slavery during the United States and that was one thing she wanted to change. Since she didn’t want slavery her family and people who thought the same way were called abolitionists.

Susan B. Anthony She felt so passionate about changing slavery she quit her job to focus in on trying to change this practice. She moved back in with her parents to Rochester New York to work with others in trying to come up with ways to change slavery.

Susan B. Anthony A famous abolitionist named Frederick Douglass lived in Rochester. He often met at Anthony’s house to discuss matters. He also felt that women should have the same rights as men.

Susan B. Anthony In March 1851, Anthony met fellow women’s right thinker Elizabeth Cady Stanton. Stanton had organized a women’s rights convention (a formal meeting where people discuss a subject they are interested in) in Seneca Falls, New York in 1848. They worked together for the next 52 years to ensure women’s rights.

Susan B. Anthony Stanton liked to write while Anthony liked to organize things as well as give speakers. They made a great team. They both wanted New York to recognize women as voters and as land owners. Their hard work paid off because in 1860 New York passed a law which allowed married women to own property.

Susan B. Anthony Anthony and Stanton were not just concerned with women’s rights. They wanted everyone to be treated fairly. In 1856 Anthony started working for the Anti-Slavery Society in New York State. She and Stanton both made speeches against slavery.

Susan B. Anthony Because they were women they couldn’t become the leaders of anti-slavery groups. They formed a all women’s group called the Women’s National Loyal League. This was the first political group in the United States to be formed by women.

Susan B. Anthony In 1860 some slave states decided to leave the United States. This and other things led the United States into the Civil War. When the war was over slavery was also over in 1865. Anthony and Stanton wanted this free people to have the right to vote and in 1870 they could.

Susan B. Anthony After all these successes women still didn’t have the right to vote. Anthony wanted women to have equal rights under the a law and the right to vote was a part of that. To achieve this goal Stanton and Anthony started a new group called the National Woman Suffrage Association.

Suffrage means the right to vote. Susan B. Anthony Suffrage means the right to vote.

Susan B. Anthony In 1872 Susan decided that even though it was against the law she was going to vote. She was allowed to register, or sign up, to vote and she voted for the President of the United States. Four days later she was arrested.

Susan B. Anthony Anthony was told that she would have a trail and that trail took place in 1873. Anthony couldn’t even speak at her own trial. The judge told the jury that had to vote against Anthony because he was afraid that if they didn’t then all women in New York would get the right to vote. Anthony was found guilty and had to pay a fine which she didn’t do.

Susan B. Anthony Stanton and Anthony decided to write down their struggles in books entitled The History of Woman Suffrage. Even though Anthony had worked hard and long (diligence) she kept working. In her seventies she traveled in the country encouraging others that women had the right to vote.

Susan B. Anthony She inspired younger women to her cause and more people started helping women earn the right to vote. Before her words were met with anger but now more people began to agree with her. By 1906 four states had given women the right to vote.

Susan B. Anthony In 1920 the law was changed and everywhere women could vote. Anthony didn’t get to see this but her hard work and dedication paid off. Today Anthony is honored with the Susan B. Anthony dollar. There is also a plaque at the National Women’s Hall of Fame in New York.

Susan B. Anthony Thanks to Anthony and her friends women all across the country and then world have many rights that they can enjoy. Using those rights is the best way to keep them.

Susan B. Anthony Vocabulary Abolitionists: People who want to end slavery Convention: A formal meeting where people discuss a subject they are interested in Diligence: Working hard for a long time

Susan B. Anthony Vocabulary Independent: Being free to make one’s own decisions Justice: equal treatment under the law Legislature: the law-making part of government Organizer: A person who gets others to work for a shared cause

Susan B. Anthony Vocabulary Property: Something that is owned Quaker: A member of a religion that emphasizes equality among people.

Susan B. Anthony Vocabulary Register: To place one’s name on an official list to do something Slavery: A cruel system in which one person owns and controls another person Suffrage: the right to vote

Character Traits Diligence: Susan worked hard and long to end slavery and win equal rights for women Justice: Anthony wanted everyone to have the same rights and to be treated fairly.