Trailblazers: Susan B. Anthony and Jeannette Rankin
Susan B. Anthony and Jeannette Rankin are two trailblazers who left an indelible mark on the world. Although separated by time and geography, these two women were united in their desire to see women’s voices heard. These courageous pioneers blazed a trail that led to the passage of the 19th Amendment, allowing women to vote for the first time.
Rankin, born in Montana in 1880, was the first woman in the United States to serve in Congress, and the first female member of the Republican Party. She was an ardent supporter of civil rights, and she fought for suffrage alongside Alice Paul and others in the National Woman’s Party. After her historic election in 1916, she continued to advocate for women’s rights, sponsoring successful legislation to increase funding for women’s education.
Susan B. Anthony, born in Massachusetts in 1820, was an ardent abolitionist and feminist. She formed the National Women’s Suffrage Association with Elizabeth Cady Stanton in 1869 and was a leader in the fight for women’s suffrage. She and her cohorts traveled the country to rally support for the cause, and in 1920, the 19th Amendment was ratified, granting women the right to vote.
These two women have left an indelible mark on the world and their legacies remain to this day. In this blog post, we will take a closer look at the lives of Jeannette Rankin and Susan B. Anthony—two trailblazers who revolutionized the way women are seen and heard in society.
Song for Mary Anthony
In “Song for Mary Anthony,” listeners accompany Susan B. Anthony’s sister Mary who fulfills Susan’s request to continue suffrage work in far away Oregon.
Pivotal episode in Civil War history
Daniel Read (D.R.) Anthony served as a Frontier Guard in a pivotal episode at the start of the Civil War. For nine days in April 1861, he and 115 other Kansans bivouacked on the floor of the White House. Their mission? To protect the recently-inaugurated President Lincoln from abduction and probable death. James P. Muehlberger […]
The wind beneath Susan’s wings: Mary Stafford Anthony
If Susan B. Anthony and her youngest sister were alive today, Susan would almost certainly describe Mary as the wind beneath her wings. Today’s hat tip goes to Mary Stafford Anthony in honor of her birthday on April 22, 1827, in Battenville, NY. Mary was seven years younger than Susan and never married. “Miss Mary” […]
Anthony family: diversity of religious expression
Last night my husband and I attended our Presbyterian service of Maundy Thursday to commemorate the evening of the Last Supper when Jesus was betrayed. Afterward, we accepted an invitation to participate in a seder meal with the Congregation Etz Chaim, just down the road from our church. As the evening concluded, we prayed […]
Women Whalers
You don’t hear about women whalers very often, even though they were not uncommon in the 19th century. In fact, Annie Osborn Anthony, daughter of a whaling captain from Martha’s Vineyard, had such a seafaring woman in her family. Today’s post references Annie’s sister-in-law Lucy Hobart Osborn, who will represent dozens of women who accompanied […]
Be a cover sleuth
Hi, friends, I need some cover sleuths to help me decide whether this design accurately signals what this book is about. (Yes, I’m asking you to judge a book by its cover!) Are you game for it? If so, please see my questions below and give me your thoughts in the comment box. First of all, […]
Harriet Tubman: Three Portraits
Harriet Tubman: 3 Portraits focuses on the significance of this abolitionist leader of the Underground Railroad
Cartoon: The president and Susan B.
In honor of Presidents’ Week, I offer you this fun cartoon of the president and Susan B.. It appeared in 1905 as the result of ex-president Grover Cleveland’s expression of disdain for women’s clubs. Unfortunately for him, he got a lot worse than he gave! I loved the cartoon when I first discovered it during […]
Susan B. Anthony’s last birthday
Susan B. Anthony’s last birthday was a bittersweet occasion. It was also when she uttered her most oft-quoted words.