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.
Susan B. Anthony sister-in-law honored
Susan B. Anthony’s sister-in-law and brother were honored with a historical marker in Leavenworth, Kansas. This marks their support for women’s rights.
Famous Black Woman Spurned by Racist
Susan B. Anthony Champions Ida B. Wells In 1895, Susan B. Anthony went out for the day instructing her (white) stenographer to help her guest, journalist Ida B. Wells, to catch up on her correspondence. When Susan returned, the journalist was doing her own typing while the stenographer sat idle. Asked why she was not […]
Great American Women of Susan B.’s Era
During Women’s History Month we will use this space to celebrate several great American women who were comrades of Susan B. Anthony. (Click here for an earlier blog post on Women’s History Month.) Though Miss Anthony did not know all of them, each one came from her era and worked to make us a more […]
Visit Susan B. Re-enactor and biographer
Jeanne Gehret will be signing books at one of her favorite bookstores this Saturday, 3/24/17. Come say hello at Simply New York on Culver Road and find out why she hasn’t been blogging much lately.
All for Suffrage, Part 1
Susan B. Anthony’s family members were all for women’s suffrage, each in his or her own way. Some supported voting rights by actually casting ballots, while others supported campaigns for African-Americans and women to vote. Susan had a strong support system for her reform work.
America’s Iconic Suffragist
Biography of Susan B. Anthony–New in September 2017! Susan B. Anthony And Justice For All: Suffrage Centennial Edition–complete revision of 1994 edition. Order now on Amazon or Amazon Kindle. Description: This biography of Susan B. Anthony carefully follows primary sources (Ida Harper, Alma Lutz, Ann Gordon), and is updated to include the ratification of the woman suffrage […]
Town Where Susan B. Anthony Was Convicted
Ontario County is celebrating woman suffrage at a fine exhibit in Canandaigua, NY, the town where Susan B. Anthony was convicted for voting. It runs until April 1, 2018. In addition to great details about the women who campaigned hard for New York State suffrage, it also contains several beautiful period gowns and a reproduction of […]
Why She Should Vote: Susan B. Anthony
Last week, Perinton and Pittsford filled the halls to hear my “Failure is Impossible” reenactment of Susan B. Anthony. One of the highlights of that talk is a discussion of her arguments about why she should vote. It was great to have a full house and especially fun to entertain people’s thoughts and questions afterwards. […]
Susan B. Anthony comes to life at VoteTilla
Join me as I portray Susan B. Anthony as part of the Votetilla celebration next week! Bring your school-age kids for living history! Wednesday, July 19, Fairport Public Library (co-sponsored by Perinton (NY) Historical Socety), 7 pm Thursday, July 20, Pittsford (NY) Community Library, 7 pm Votetilla is a weeklong celebration of New York State’s […]