Tracking Women’s Rights
Recently I had the pleasure of presenting Susan B. Anthony in costume at the World of Inquiry School in the Rochester City School District. Approximately 100 seventh-graders, in groups of 20, cycled through several costumed speakers who introduced students to a variety of 19th century issues, including temperance, antislavery, physical abuse, unequal access to education, […]
Dressing for the Weather
As Martha’s Vineyard, along with the rest of the northeast, braces itself for another mass of cold and ice this week, I can’t help but think how much easier we have it now than in the 1860s when Anna Osborn lived on that island. We who dash to our cars and crank up the heater can hardly imagine […]
Was Susan B. Anthony Honored During Her Lifetime?
Although Susan’s early years were filled with bitter opposition,she became much loved for her tireless work on behalf of women and African-Americans. On Susan’s birthdays, many affectionate friends and family frequently lavished attention on her. One year her brother D.R. sent her a lovely silver-backed mirror. On her fiftieth birthday, Susan had been living for two years in New […]
A Christmas Tale
The Rochester Anthonys were not in the habit of celebrating Christmas until the end of the 19th century. “We Quakers don’t make much of Christmas,” Susan said as late as 1899. It should come as no surprise, then, that on Christmas Day in 1860 Susan became embroiled in one of the most unpopular causes of her life. To […]
Susan B.’s Quilt Comes Home
The Legler Barn Stitchers (pictured on this post) of Lenexa, Kansas were an excellent choice to complete the replica of Susan B.’s quilt. They had plenty of experience and provided a living history display as they quilted in the historic structure. Built in 1864, the Legler Barn
Joining the Quilt Layers
Susan’s original LeMoyne Star quilt now rests in the vault of the Rochester Museum & Science Center (RMSC), safely preserved but too fragile to be on constant display.
Following Susan B.
This week my two new friends Connie Logan and Jinny Vogel-Polizzi retraced Susan B.’s steps from Susan B.’s birthplace in Adams, Massachusetts to her adult home in Rochester, NY. (Click on picture to enlarge it.) But it isn’t the first time they’ve “followed” Susan.
Susan B. Anthony letters comprise new collection
Letters of Susan B. Anthony collection at University of Rochester, where Susan campaigned to have women admitted in 1900.
Quakers At Heart
Quakerism was at the center of the Anthony family. It was a bee in the bonnet of Susan’s antislavery activities that began in New York State, and a spur atop the saddle for Merritt and Daniel as they rode with the Kansas cavalry in the Civil War.
19th Amendment
Would there have been a 19th amendment if Susan B. had not tried to vote in 1872? Possibly not. If her vote had been calmly counted instead of causing an uproar, maybe millions of women would have voted in the 1880 election.