Timeline Description: Susan B. Anthony is remembered as a hero for women's rights and women's suffrage, but she was also a noted abolitionist and advocate for women's education. She spent her life fighting for her beliefs, and was instrumental in the eventual passage of the 19th Amendment.
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| February 15, 1820 | Susan Brownell Anthony Born Susan Brownell Anthony was born in Adams, Massachusetts. She was the second of seven children. Six years later, the family moved from Adams to Battenville, New York. |
| 1837 | Family Hardship The depression of 1837 causes Susan's father, Daniel Anthony, to lose his wealth, declare bankruptcy and lose the family home in Battenville, New York. |
| 1838 | Susan's Education Ends In 1838, Susan's father took both Susan and her sister, Guelma, out of school. While Susan's education had ended, she was, for a woman, relatively well-educated. |
| 1845 | Move to Rochester, New York The Anthony family moved to Rochester, New York in 1845. Here, the family began to host abolitionist gatherings, exposing Susan to modern politics and key figures in the abolition movement, including Frederick Douglass. |
| 1846 | Begins Teaching In 1846, Susan B. Anthony took a teaching position at Canajoharie Academy. She earned $110 per year. |
| 1851 | Conventions(1851 and 1852) Susan B. Anthony attended the 1851 Anti-Slavery Convention in Syracuse, New York. She met a number of key figures in the abolitionist movement. She met Elizabeth Cady Stanton for the first time at this convention in 1851. In 1852, she attended her first women's rights convention. |
| 1854 | Begins her Campaign for Women's Rights In 1854, Anthony began to petition for women's rights, including rights for married women and women's suffrage. She was refused permission to speak in a number of public venues. |
| 1856 | Becomes Agent for American Anti-Slavery Society While Anthony was increasingly interested in women's rights, she continued to work as an abolitionist, taking on an official role for the American Anti-Slavery Society. As an agent, she spoke and publicized the cause. She kept her role for a number of years, conducting an anti-slavery campaign in 1861. |
| 1857 | Call for Education In 1857, at the New York State Teachers' Convention, Anthony calls for increased access to education for both women and African-Americans. As a teacher, Anthony viewed education as a path to freedom. |
| 1863 | Appeal to Women of the Republic Anthony, along with Elizabeth Cady Stanton, wrote and published the "Appeal to Women of the Republic" in 1863. |
| 1868 | The Revolution and Working Women's Groups In 1868, Anthony began to publish "The Revolution," a newsletter aimed at women and focusing on issues of women's rights. She also began to work to organize working women. The first Women's Suffrage Convention was held in 1869. |
| 1872 | Anthony Votes and Is Arrested Anthony voted in 1872, and was promptly arrested for her actions. In 1873, the judge ordered the jury to find her guilty and she was fined $100. |
| 1881 | History of Women's Suffrage Published(1881-1902) The first volume of Anthony, Stanton and Matilda Joslin Gage's History of Women's Suffrage was published in 1881. This was followed by three additional volumes. |
| 1897 | Work on Biography(1897-1898) Susan B. Anthony began work on her autobiography in 1897, working out of a work room in her home. The autobiography was published in 1898. |
| 1905 | Met with Theodore Roosevelt In 1905, Anthony met with Theodore Roosevelt to discuss an amendment for women's suffrage. She attended suffrage hearings in 1906, giving her "Failure Is Impossible" speech not long before her death on March 13, 1906. |
| 1920 | The 19th Amendment Passes Some 14 years after Anthony's death, her life's goal was met. Women gained, by constitutional amendment, the right to vote. |