The Life of Susan Brownell Anthony

She is a leader, an advocate, a reformist, an educational reformer, a labor activist, a seeker of justice, a fighter of freedom, a crusader, a humanitarian, a rebel and most of all, a woman of suffrage. Susan B. Anthony led the life of struggles as she pushed forth the rights of women as equal citizens, amidst the dominance governing of men of her time. The Early Life Imagine a long line of Green Mountains, rushing streams tumbling through rocky gorges, beautiful meadows and forests, old bridges coupled with pleasantly old-fashioned farmhouses and roadways.

This picturesque scenery is where Susan B. Anthony was born, a second child and second eldest to Daniel and Susan Read Anthony of Adams, Massachusetts on February 15, 1820. She grew up in the loving and welcoming arms of her mother and father. Although she lived in a somber and quiet home, theirs was a home filled with respect, affection and great comfort. Susan as a child is precocious, brimming with intelligence and life. At an early age of three she was taught to spell and read.

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She has great ambition and does things that are considered beyond a girl’s capacity. Her father, one of her greatest influences was as a manager of a milling company and an abolitionist enthusiast at that time. At the age of 10, she was permitted by her kind and charitable mother to accompany his father in his work and at the age of eleven was able to detect the injustice seen on women (Harper, 1969). She noticed a worker named Sally Ann who was exceptional in weaving not rising to a position of an overseer.

A man named Elijah, who was the overseer at that time, kept going over to Sally Ann when dire situations come and in turn Sally Ann always manages to deliver and correct the problems. And so when she asked her father why ever Sally Ann never got the position as an overseer, he replied that it’s because she was a woman, the dissatisfaction of Susan grew up in a place filled with women. Most of the mill’s weavers were young girls and as custom, they reside with the millowner.

Susan together with her mother took care of these women and cooks and packs a dinner pail for them. Education was very important in their household. When the family moved to Battenville, there is an old fashioned district school taught by a man in winter and a woman in summer, however their views on teaching a girl lessons that were never insisted upon her such as Mathematics pushed her father to build a private school employed with the best teachers and only admitted children willing to associate with his own.

Girls were taught sewing, spelling as well as reading. Susan at the age of 15 became a teacher herself. This caused much debate from their neighbors for women are only employed or only work when situations are pressed upon them. In her time, women’s values as equals were ignored and the right to vote where given to a chosen few, however this was not the case in their household and Susan never forgot the mark that forever instilled her to fight. Issues of slavery also intermingle, she once heard her father saying never to buy cotton raised by slavery.

She joined meetings and conferences along with her father by the time she was old enough and thus began her quest for freedom (Lutz, 1959). The Susan B. Anthony as an Abolitionist Members of Susan Anthony’s house during Sundays would meet at their farm where they were occasionally joined by Frederick Douglass and William Lloyd Garrison. In 1956 she became an agent of American Anti-Slavery Society wherein she’s active in conducting speeches and meetings. As a result she was mobbed, threatened. She was hung in effigy and her image was dragged around the streets.

In 1963, together with her closest friend, Elizabeth Stanton that she met on 1951 created Women's National Loyal League wherein they fought for the rights of Black women as full citizens by means of being allowed to vote. They were bitterly disappointed when their petition didn’t appear in the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments, however continued their campaign in her newspaper The Revolution that she herself is the editor and publisher. An Educational Reformer At the age of 26, Susan Anthony was the head of the girl’s department at Canajoharie Academy fro two years earning $110 a year.

It was in 1953 that she called for a convention in which pinpoint the issues regarding better pay and positions for women. She reiterated that it should be so because men and women’s minds are of no difference so better opportunities should also be given to women ad ex-slaves such as education and equal treatment. One of her most memorable exploits was during the 1890’s, when she raised $50,000 to secure the admittance of women in the University of Rochester putting her life insurance policy in value to meet up the deadline.

The said University was forced to submit due to their promise and as a result, during 1900’s women were admitted for the first time. As a Labor Activist In her paper, The Revolution she promoted the eight-hour day and equal pay for equal work which in turn promoted the purchasing of American-made goods and immigration in the South and resettle in the country. She encouraged women to form unions that will secure their right as workers and spearheaded the Workingwomen's Central Association in 1970. As a Temperance Worker Her family always condemned the drinking of liquor.

Back when she was a head of the girl’s department, she joined the Daughter of Temperance, a movement that notifies the public of the effects of liquor on families and campaigned for a law against it. There was a time when she had been refused to speak in a convention and in turn she walked out and held a convention of her own. Together with Elizabeth Stanton, she formed another organization and fought their way to the creation of laws against liquors. A Woman Suffragist and a Campaigner Anthony believed that in order for men and women to become equal, a necessity for women to be allowed to vote should be in order.

It symbolizes the capacity for women to decide and at the same time be acknowledged of their worthiness. It was the onset of voting in 1872 that she defiantly casted her ballot in the presidential elections and was arrested because of it. In turn she denied that it wasn’t a crime and refused to pay for the penalty. She argued that she was merely exercising her right as a citizen of the country and recited the preamble of the federal constitution wherein she stressed that the citizens of the country, not white men or male men forms the union.

It was in February 15, 1906, at the age of 86, Susan B. Anthony died. Ten thousand mourners grieved for her. In her later years she had extensively traveled the world seeking for woman empowerment. She was able to organize 48 countries with the same cause. It was 100 years after her birthday that 19th amendment was passed on, extending the rights of women to vote. A Conclusion In the end, it is safe to say that Susan B. Anthony is truly a woman ahead of her time. She might have lived a life full of struggles but she had lived on to the fullest.

She had fought her way against the system in order to right what she thinks is an injustice. In the end, she is truly a hero and a martyr that maybe in one way or another, had not been not much credited upon. She is a symbol of truth and a mother of all women. She represents the women of today that now know how to fight for their rights. She had gone a long way but in the end, she fought hard and won hard. Her legend lives on as women continue to uphold their worth as women in the society, amidst the onslaught of injustices and oppression.

The fight still continues as long as there are still those who suffer. References An Account of the Proceedings of the Trial of Anthony, on teh Charge of Illegal voting, at the Presidential Election in November, 1872. Rochester: Daily Democrat and Chronicle Book Print, 1872. Reprinted 2002 by The Lawbook Exchange Limited. Biography of Susan B. Anthony. Retrieved January 18, 2008 from http://www. susanbanthonyhouse. org/biography. shtml Harper, Ida Husted. (1969) Life and Work of Susan B. Anthony. New YorkL Arno, 1969. NOTES: Reprint of ten 1898-1908 ed.

Holland, Patricia G. "Susan B. Anthony. " Microsoft® Encarta® 2007 [DVD]. Redmond, WA: Microsoft Corporation, 2006. Linder. Doug (2001). The Trial of Susan B. Anthony for Illegal Voting. Retrieved January 18 2008 from http://www. law. umkc. edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/anthony/sbaaccount. html Lutz, A. (1959). Susan B. Anthony: Rebel, Crusader, Humanitarian. Zenger Publishing Co. Inc. Washington D. C. Susan B. Anthony. (2006). American Atheist. Retrieved January 18, 2008 from http://www. atheists. org/Atheism/roots/anthony/

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