Susan B. Anthony, a controversial leader
At a time when women had no rights, Susan Brownell Anthony rose from the crowd and gave American female citizens the opportunity to vote.
Women in the 19th century
She was born, raised and born in the 19h century. In this century, women were inferior to men; girls were taught how to handle a household and the families kept the money for boys' education. The scarce ones to have a job were paid 5 times less that there masculine equivalent and marriage automatically gave all priorities to the husband: women were left with nothing. Susan B Anthony saw the standardized unfairness and fought for women's rights her entire life.
Notion of equality
Thanks to a Quaker family, she had the value of equality and peace between people. The religion of her parents made her believe that there was a little bit of God in everybody and were therefore against slavery, still legal at the time. The end of slavery was the first thing she aimed for with the help of Frederick Douglass, a former slave. She then made women's rights her priority.
Bravery
She spent her time travelling to spread her ideas and planning meetings with other famous reformers such as Elizabeth Cady Stanton. In 1872, she sent a letter to a letter conveying her exhilaration as she was determined to go and vote. She took the Constitution with her and quoted the 1st section of the 15th amendment: "The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude." She asserted her right by being a citizen and not finding any reason why she should be considered different from male citizens. She got arrested the same day for voting but the Marshall refused to handcuff or imprisoned her. She would have liked to, it would have shown that no difference was made between men and women and it would have given her a voice. She however managed to be heard and played a huge role in the American feminism.
She died in the early 20th century, even before women were acknowledged the right to vote in 1920.
Written by Colline Cherel