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Susan B. Anthony Timeline


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.

DateEvent TitleEvent Description
February 15, 1820Susan Brownell Anthony BornSusan 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.
1837Family HardshipThe depression of 1837 causes Susan's father, Daniel Anthony, to lose his wealth, declare bankruptcy and lose the family home in Battenville, New York.
1838Susan's Education EndsIn 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.
1845Move to Rochester, New YorkThe 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.
1846Begins TeachingIn 1846, Susan B. Anthony took a teaching position at Canajoharie Academy. She earned $110 per year.
1851Conventions(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.
1854Begins her Campaign for Women's RightsIn 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.
1856Becomes Agent for American Anti-Slavery SocietyWhile 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.
1857Call for EducationIn 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.
1863Appeal to Women of the RepublicAnthony, along with Elizabeth Cady Stanton, wrote and published the "Appeal to Women of the Republic" in 1863.
1868The Revolution and Working Women's GroupsIn 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.
1872Anthony Votes and Is ArrestedAnthony 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.
1881History 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.
1897Work 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.
1905Met with Theodore RooseveltIn 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.
1920The 19th Amendment PassesSome 14 years after Anthony's death, her life's goal was met. Women gained, by constitutional amendment, the right to vote.