National Women's History Month - Susan B. Anthony

As I mentioned in a previous post, March is National Women's History Month. I'll be doing a few blogs that deal with women who have been pivotal in influencing events of their time that had far-reaching effects.

Susan B. Anthony was born in 1820 in Massachusetts. She was the second oldest of eight children born in a very strict Quaker family. While other children were playing games and having fun, Susan and her siblings were being instructed by their father in self-discipline, principled convictions, and belief in their own self-worth. This instruction was to become the foundation for Susan's fight in the temperance movement and later the suffrage movement.

After the Civil War, Susan demanded that women be given the same civil and political rights that had been extended to black males under the 14th and 15th amendments. She led a group of women to the polls in Rochester to test the right of women to vote. Two weeks later she was arrested. After being tried and convicted of violating the voting laws, Susan was able to fight--and win--against paying the fine. From then on she campaigned endlessly for a federal woman suffrage amendment.

She wasn't always politically correct, however, especially when she was angry over the language in the 15th amendment. For the first time the word "male" was written into the constitution in permitting suffrage for freedmen. She sometimes argued that educated white women would be better voters than "ignorant" black men or immigrant men. (Her point being, I'm sure, that having an education was more important than possession of a penis. Men may have a different opinion here.)

Susan also campaigned for equal pay for women. It's rather sad that over a hundred years later we still don't have that. While women enjoy bigger salaries in professional positions, I can say I personally observed male executives being paid more than their female executive counterparts. (And, unfortunately, I had occasion to use the following sentence: "I'm dickless, not brainless.") Which would go back to Susan's point about educated women being a better choice for a voter than an uneducated man.

Although she didn't live to see the consummation of her efforts to win the vote for American women, the establishment of the 19th amendment is largely due to her tireless efforts.