Susan B. Anthony: Suffragist And Feminist Activist

Susan B. Anthony was undeniably one of the most influential suffragists and feminists of all time. Raised a Quaker, Anthony was from a household that stressed the equality of men and women, unlike many of her suffragist peers. Her father also let her do many hard jobs and sent her off to boarding school, where the stern headmistress, who always found faults in whatever Anthony did, helped build her zeal for success. These character building upbringings impacted the way Anthony would campaign for women’s suffrage in years to come. Because of her teaching job, Anthony knew of the unequal pay between men and women. When she was teaching, men would often be paid better than her. In a speech she once gave, she said, “Would you make it more lucrative, increase the salaries of the women engaged in the noble work of educating our future Presidents, Senators, and Congressmen” (Sherr 19-20). As she grew older, Anthony became a passionate suffragist, abolitionist, and supporter of the temperance movement. Her view is easily summed up in her work, the History of Woman Suffrage, “This society including our systems of jurisprudence, civil and political …show more content…
Anthony continues to be one of the most influential women in the suffragist and feminist movement. Her arguments stay relevant and can be applied to the inequalities women face today. Her hard work still influences many young feminists today. Her remarkable approach to the suffrage cause was made possible through her lasting suffragist friendships, her numerous committees set up for women’s franchise, and her influential writings. During her lifetime, Anthony fought hard for the woman’s right to vote and, although she never lived to see it, the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is eventually passed in 1920. She knew that with the right to vote, women could change the world. She knew they would not be unsuccessful. When she retired in 1900, she left her fellow suffragists with these words: “Failure is