Susan B. Anthony

Susan B. Anthony – Life, Career, and Famous Quotes

Delve into the life and legacy of Susan B. Anthony (1820–1906), the American social reformer and women’s suffrage leader. Learn about her early years, activism, major achievements, powerful quotes, and enduring influence on gender equality.

Introduction

Susan B. Anthony is one of the most iconic figures in the history of women’s rights in the United States. As a tireless campaigner for women’s suffrage, she invested decades in activism, organization, and public speaking, laying crucial groundwork for the passage of the 19th Amendment. Her name remains synonymous with the struggle for equal rights and civic emancipation. Though she died before achieving full success, her voice, determination, and conviction continue to inspire advocates of justice worldwide.

Early Life and Family

Susan Brownell Anthony was born on February 15, 1820 in Adams, Massachusetts.

Anthony was raised in a Quaker household that emphasized equality, moral responsibility, and social reform.

In this environment, Susan grew up with strong convictions about justice, human dignity, and moral duty. Her family’s engagement in reform causes provided early exposure to activism and debate.

Youth and Education

Anthony received a decent education for a young woman in her era. She briefly attended local schools and later became a teacher. Canajoharie Academy in New York, with a salary of $110 per year.

Her experience in the classroom, combined with her Quaker upbringing, sharpened her sense of discipline, organization, and public duty. Over time, she transitioned from formal education into full-time social reform and activism.

Though formal education opportunities for women were limited in her era, Anthony’s intellectual curiosity and moral conviction drove her to self-educate, read widely, and engage deeply with public issues.

Career and Achievements

Early Activism: Temperance & Abolition

Anthony’s early activism was intertwined with the temperance movement (which sought to restrict alcohol) and the abolition of slavery. New York Women’s State Temperance Society (with Elizabeth Cady Stanton as president and Anthony as state agent).

She also became active in the anti-slavery movement. At age 16, she collected petitions against slavery.

Partnership with Elizabeth Cady Stanton & Suffrage Work

In 1851, Anthony met Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and their partnership became central to the women’s rights movement.

After the Civil War, in 1866, they helped form the American Equal Rights Association (AERA), advocating for suffrage and civil rights for both women and formerly enslaved people.

In 1868, Anthony and Stanton launched the newspaper The Revolution in New York City, focusing on women’s rights and broader social reform topics. Anthony handled much of the business side of the publication.

In 1869, when disagreements arose over the 15th Amendment (which granted African American men the right to vote but excluded women), Anthony, Stanton, and allies broke off to form the National Woman Suffrage Association (NWSA), which focused especially on securing the vote for women.

Later, in 1890, the NWSA merged with the rival American Woman Suffrage Association (AWSA) to form the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA), with Anthony as a guiding force.

Political Acts & Arrest

One of the most dramatic events in her life happened in 1872, when Anthony attempted to vote in the U.S. presidential election (even though women were not legally permitted to vote). She was arrested on November 18, 1872.

This act of civil disobedience drew national attention to the women’s suffrage cause.

Publishing & Historical Record

Anthony was deeply committed to documenting the suffrage movement’s history. She collaborated on the multi-volume History of Woman Suffrage, starting in 1876, which preserved letters, speeches, and records of the movement.

Leadership, Later Years & Death

Anthony was the president of the NWSA from 1892 to 1900.

She died on March 13, 1906 in Rochester, New York, of heart failure and pneumonia.

Historical Milestones & Context

• 1820 – Susan B. Anthony is born.

• 1846 – Begins teaching at Canajoharie Academy.

• 1851 – Meets Elizabeth Cady Stanton; attends anti-slavery/rights conventions.

• 1866 – Co-founds the American Equal Rights Association.

• 1868 – Launches The Revolution newspaper.

• 1869 – Founds the National Woman Suffrage Association (with Stanton).

• 1872 – Arrested for casting a ballot; fined $100.

• 1883 – Travels to Europe, collaborates on international women’s rights efforts.

• 1890 – NWSA and AWSA merge into NAWSA.

• 1892 – 1900 – Serves as president of NWSA.

• 1906 – Dies; does not live to see national women's suffrage.

• 1920 – The 19th Amendment is ratified, granting women in the U.S. the right to vote, fulfilling many of her aspirations.

Legacy and Influence

Susan B. Anthony’s legacy is profound and multi-dimensional:

• She became a lasting symbol of women’s rights, suffrage, and gender equality in the United States.

• Her methods—public speaking, petition drives, civil disobedience, documentation—became templates for later movements.

• The 19th Amendment is often informally called the “Susan B. Anthony Amendment” in recognition of her contributions.

• Her home in Rochester is preserved as the National Susan B. Anthony Museum & House.

• Her writings, speeches, and the History of Woman Suffrage remain key historical sources for scholars of women’s history.

• Her resolve, courage, and moral clarity continue to inspire activists for social justice, gender parity, and civil rights worldwide.

Although she did not live to cast a ballot under national enfranchisement, her entire life was a campaign for that possibility—and she laid much of the groundwork.

Personality and Talents

• Determined & Resolute: Anthony exhibited unyielding focus over decades, despite slow progress, opposition, and legal challenges.

• Organizational Skill: She managed the logistics of movements, publications, petitions, and fundraising—even when working with limited resources.

• Courage in Public Action: Her willingness to be arrested and publicly defend her beliefs underscored moral courage.

• Strategic Collaborator: Her partnership with Elizabeth Cady Stanton and alliances with various reform groups show her political tact.

• Documentarian Mindset: She understood the importance of preserving records, letters, and history for future generations.

• Moral Conviction: Her activism was deeply rooted in a sense of justice, equity, and spiritual duty.

Her personality combined a reformer’s fire with a pragmatic capacity to sustain long-term struggle.

Famous Quotes of Susan B. Anthony

Here are some of her most cited and enduring statements:

“Men, their rights and nothing more; women, their rights and nothing less.”
“The day may be approaching when the whole world will recognize woman as the equal of man, socially, politically, and in every other respect.”
“I declare to you that woman must not depend upon the protection of man, but must be taught to protect herself, and there I take my stand.”
“Cautious, careful people, always casting about to preserve their reputations … can never effect a reform.”
“I would sooner cut off my right hand than ask the ballot for the black man and not the woman.”
“Failure is impossible.”

These quotations emphasize her unflinching demand for equality and her belief in moral persistence.

Lessons from Susan B. Anthony

1. Long-term commitment wins change. Social transformation often requires persistent effort over decades.

2. Civil disobedience can be righteous. Standing against unjust laws, even when penalized, can shift public awareness.

3. Record history as you go. Documenting struggles ensures future generations can learn and build.

4. Ally across causes. Intersectional engagement (with abolition, labor, temperance) strengthens movements.

5. Leadership transcends titles. She often led behind the scenes, through influence rather than formal office.

6. Her life shows that one can be an agent of change, even when institutional barriers seem immovable.

Conclusion

Susan B. Anthony’s life is a testament to the power of conviction, discipline, and moral clarity in the face of systemic inequality. Though she did not live to see women fully enfranchised under U.S. law, her tireless work was essential to that outcome. Her legacy lives on not just in political statutes, but in the spirit of ongoing struggles for rights, dignity, and inclusion.