Profile of the Day: Susan B. Anthony

On this day in 1820, suffragist Susan B. Anthony was born in Adams, Massachusetts.

Image: Susan B. Anthony / Library of Congress

Born into a Quaker family, Anthony grew up in a politically active household. Her family was active in the anti-slavery movement, and by the age of 17, Anthony was already collecting anti-slavery petitions. Encouraged to pursue her education, Anthony became a teacher while continuing to fight for social reforms that would bring equality to all.

In 1851, Anthony met Elizabeth Cady Stanton at the Seneca Falls Convention. The women formed a close friendship and working relationship that would become pivotal to the women’s suffrage movement. Together, Stanton and Anthony helped draft the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which prohibits any citizen to be denied the right to vote based on gender.

Anthony remained politically active until she passed away in 1906. Fourteen years after her death, the 19th Amendment was finally ratified, granting women the right to vote.

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