Since the inauguration of President Trump, many women have had concerns about their ability to effectively voice their opinions. They have also had fears of losing certain rights altogether, including the right to contraceptives that a plethora of the women in our population heavily rely on. While these fears are fairly new in our time and age, women had bigger problems in the past. We are not the first generation of women who have had to fight for what they believe naturally belongs to them.
There was a time when women weren’t even legally allowed to vote, and had no say in the running of our government whatsoever. In 1872, one woman tried to change that by gathering several women and registering to vote, and was willing to be arrested for the rights she believed were owed to her. That woman was Susan B. Anthony, and after she was arrested, Anthony gave her famous “‘Are Women Persons?’” speech to women and men across the United States in order to persuade them that the right to vote was an entitlement being denied to women by the government, as well as to exploit the U.S. government in the unjust way it was ran. Her hard work & motivating words make Anthony a good role model for females in our generation.
Susan B. Anthony was one of the main leaders of
…show more content…
Towards the beginning of her essay, Anthony alludes to the preamble to reaffirm her claim that women are owed the right to vote, since it says “We the people” and not “we the white males” (Anthony 1). Since the Preamble to the Constitution is one of our first founding documents, it gives her credibility in addition to what she already has gained from her qualifications as a speaker on women's
Today, women and men have equal rights, however not long ago men believed women were lower than them. During the late eighteenth century, men expected women to stay at home and raise children. Women were given very few opportunities to expand their education past high school because colleges and universities would not accept females. This was a loss for women everywhere because it took away positions of power for them. It was even frowned upon if a woman showed interest in medicine or law because that was a man 's place not a woman’s, just like it was a man 's duty to vote and not a woman 's. The road to women 's right was long and hard, but many women helped push the right to vote, the one that was at the front of that group was Susan B. Anthony.
By this time only four states had women's suffrage. These states are Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, and Idaho (UXL Biographies). Because she died, women carried her legacy by getting the Nineteenth Amendment passed on August 20, 1920 (Shenkman). In 1979 and 1980, the government made one dollar coins with a picture of Anthony on it. It was the very first coin to have a picture of a woman (Sochen). Because of all the hard work Anthony did and people telling her that women shouldn’t be equal to men she didn’t give up. She pushed through all the tough times, and because she did that she was able to accomplish her goal. Twenty-six million women were able to vote because of her. No one could ignore women anymore or their problems. They are now treated like everyone else. What she did, didn’t just get women the right to vote. It changed women’s everyday life too. The women got better pay and the place where they worked was safer. The children’s well being was changed too (The Nineteenth
Susan B. Anthony believed that women should have the same rights as men. She fought for this right in many different ways, but she is most famous for showing civil disobedience by voting illegally. Unfortunately, Anthony fought all her life for women’s rights, but her dreams were not fulfilled until 14 years after she died (“Susan” Bio). Anthony attended a women’s rights convention before she started campaigning for women’s rights (“Susan” Encyclopedia par. 2). The adage of the adage.
After moving to Rochester, NY in 1845, the Anthony family became very active in the anti-slavery movement.
...re and an American hero she devoted her life to working towards equal rights for all women. Through writing, speaking, and campaigning, Anthony and her supporters brought about change in the United States government and gave women the important voice that they had always been denied. Any study of feminism or women’s history would be incomplete without learning about her. She fought for her beliefs for 50 years and led the way for women to be granted rights as citizens of their country, Thanks to Anthony’s persistence, several years after her death, in 1920 women were given the right by the Nineteenth Amendment of the Constitution. I do believe she was the key figure in women getting the right to vote. “She will forever stand alone and unapproached, her fame continually increasing as evolution lifts humanity into higher appreciation of justice and liberty.”
Susan B. Anthony, women’s rights activist, once said “The day may be approaching when the whole world will recognize woman as the equal of man.” (“Susan” Brainy). Anthony was famous for helping women achieve many rights that were once only given to men. Susan B. Anthony’s involvement in civil disobedience was due to personal influences, she chose to participate in civil disobedience to protest the rights of women, and she did achieve success using this controversial method of standing up for what she strongly believes to be right. Civil disobedience is when people deliberately infringe a law. The person who breaks that law is usually willing to accept any consequences that would be given to them. (Suber). The purpose of civil disobedience is
Achieving equality between men and women was a long and arduous task. In the 19th century, an organized women’s rights movement began in the United States. Perhaps its most famous leader was Susan B. Anthony, a champion of women’s rights until her death in 1906. Susan B. Anthony’s work established and inspired the institution of many women’s rights, and she remains one of the most influential women in history.
As women, it is important to remember that the reproductive freedoms we now have can be easily taken away. Some people take for granted the accessibility to birth control, condoms, and abortion. President Bush has initiated policies since coming into office that threaten women’s choices. As the Bush administration takes over, it is important for women and men to come together to support women’s rights. “Bush is setting a tone for anti-choice legislation, so I expect that any legislator who is anti-choice will put something in this year,” said Jessica Morgan, president of the Baltimore chapter of the National Organization for Women (Koenig, B2). Legislative, executive, and judicial action can very possibly come together during this administration to limit or eliminate women’s reproductive freedom.
Feminist, Susan Anthony in her speech, “Women’s Right to Vote,” (1873) argues that women have a right to vote because the constitution clearly states ‘we the people’ and are women not people? She supports her claim by first claiming that she had the right to vote because the constitution clearly states that she does, then she brings out evidence from the preamble of the Federal Constitution and addresses how it says “we” not “males”, next she criticizes the government for being sexist and for all the wrongdoings that the government does, lastly she leaves the audience with the question of, ”Are women persons?” and she makes a statement about how it is similar to the unnecessary racism against negroes. Anthony’s purpose it to inform the audience
And it is a downright mockery to talk to women of their enjoyment of the blessings of liberty while they are denied the use of the only means of securing them provided by this democratic-republican government—the ballot.” (Anthony 182). This speech was meant to kindle the flame of the women’s right movement for the citizens of the United States more accurately “Friends and fellow citizens…. Hence, every discrimination against women in the constitutions and laws of the several states is today null and void” (Anthony 181-182). She uses much logos, unlike Chief Joseph, stating the constitution and supporting it with “It was we, the people; not we, the white male citizens; nor yet we, the male citizens; but
“... I not only committed no crime, but, instead, simply exercised my citizens rights.” (Anthony). Susan B. Anthony’s speech, “Women’s Right to the Suffrage,” was the most compelling speech because she informed her readers of how she didn’t break the law by casting a vote. She proves this by explaining how women are human beings whom deserve their rights, the men oppressing her are in fact the people who broke the law, and the white men have become a hate group. The central idea of her speech is that she didn’t violate a law, rather, the law violates her rights.
In 1872, Susan B. Anthony was arrested for casting a ballot simply because she was female. Like many other suffragettes, Anthony recognized that if “Governments are instituted among Men” and not women, governments cannot “derive their just powers from the consent of the governed” (Thomas Jefferson, 1776) if there exists no mechanism to arbitrate this informal contract. Although her actions blatantly contradicted the status quo interpretation of the law, Susan B. Anthony continually justified her actions by citing the Constitution “It was we, the people; not we, the white male citizens” (Susan B. Anthony, 1873). Her criticism was neither bitter nor satirical, because it was her belief in the spirit of the Constitution, rather than her rejection of it, that gave her voice power and
Anthony Dares To Vote”, the author shows us that Susan B. Anthony has courage because she never stopped fighting for women's rights to vote. In the beginning, Susan B. Anthony was put on trial to try to convince the jury that woman should have the right to vote. This shows courage because Susan B. Anthony stood up for all of the woman that were arrested and demanded for women to have the right to vote and have the same rights. “Of the 16 women, only the leader, Susan B. Anthony, was put on trial. Hers would be a test case. If she could convince the jury that she had a right under the U.S. Constitution to vote, she would be found not guilty. Then all U.S. women would win the right to vote.” In the middle, Susan B. Anthony wanted to have the right to own more than just her clothes, she wanted to have her own money because all of it went to her husband, she couldn’t sue anyone, and she wanted to be able to somewhat control her kids. This shows courage because Susan B. Anthony thought that any other woman in the world should have the right to own anything like her money or be able to control her own kids so she kept fighting.“If she earned money, it belonged to her husband. He had complete control over their children. She could not sign a contract, make a will, or sue in a court of law. She could not vote in elections. By custom, women were barred from higher education and almost all professions except teaching.” In the end, Susan B.
Susan B. Anthony was an activist for the Women’s Rights Movement. As a child, she was raised to be independent and outspoken. As a leader, she did just that. She stood up for what she believed in. Anthony organized, traveled, and spoke to people about what needed to be modified for women. Her parents were Quakers, which is a branch of christianity. They believed that all men and women should study, work, and live as equals (“Biography of Susan B. Anthony”). She adopted these thoughts and became a leader of the movement for women. She recognized her passion for women’s rights and dedicated her life as a suffragette, an advocate of women’s right to vote (“Biography of Susan B. Anthony”). A meeting with Elizabeth Cady Stanton led to lifelong friends in political organizing for women’s rights and women’s
“Speech after Being Convicted of Voting in the 1872 Presidential Election”, she discusses women's suffrage and converses over the fact that she had a right to vote and did not violate the 14th Amendment of the Constitution. Anthony’s purpose in writing the speech was to persuade the audience that she did not commit a crime in order to show that women deserve equality. Expressions of fierce diction that Anthony manipulates throughout the text are “whole people”, “union”, and “posterity” (Anthony). She exercises concise and strong diction, which supports her ethos, unites her audience, and shows that she is educated just as well as any man. If she is well educated just like the men in her time, then why do women not have the right to vote and not have equality?