Susan B. Anthony's Speech

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America is a prominent nation in the world today, but this wouldn’t be so if it weren’t for the citizens who live here and the voice we have in how our country is run. Many of the rights and privileges Americans now take for granted were not always guaranteed. For example, racial equality was not an original part of American society, but “no one did more to make it real” than Martin Luther King Jr. (Douthat 61). Similarly to racial equality, gender equality was not initially guaranteed to American citizens either, but thanks to Susan B. Anthony, “the country’s most eloquent voice for women’s equality under the law,” women now have the rights that deserve (Douthat 64). Thanks to peaceful protests, our laws have shaped and developed in pace …show more content…

King Jr. spread his opinions using words. His “I Have a Dream” speech is still recognized as his most impacting speech, studied, taught, and looked at as the major turning point for racial equality. Through his peaceful methods, his opinions on racial and gender equality were spread to thousands, resulting in giving African Americans today rights they otherwise might not have ("About"). Susan B. Anthony served this country and changed our systems in the same, peaceful ways as King Jr. Born in Massachusetts, Anthony began teaching and did so for fifteen years before, because of her comradery with Elizabeth Cady Stanton, becoming involved in the women’s rights movement of 1852. Anthony acted similarly to King Jr. in her methods of campaigning, traveling across the country, speaking publically, and campaigning for women across the nation. She also addressed the abolition of slavery in addition to women’s rights in her campaigns, and she never resorted to violence …show more content…

Nowhere in the Declaration did the founding fathers write that, regardless of race or gender, everyone has equal rights. Thanks to peaceful resistance of society’s standards from people like Martin Luther King Jr. and Susan B. Anthony, we as a nation have become more equal, therefore stronger. Having a voice is part of what makes being an American a privilege. Peaceful resistance is essential, and it is because this works and has a positive impact on society that resistance remains in check, never becoming too violent. The moment we turn to violence is the moment our country will be in grave danger. One of the greatest aspects of America that I take pride in and that other countries should admire is our equality and freedoms; our voice in this nation. Countless situations, including the resistance of Martin Luther King Jr. and Susan B. Anthony, have proven our own individual powers as a people of peace, and our voices in peaceful protest have helped to develop this country into the better nation it is

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