susan b anthony

Susan B. Anthony (born February 15, 1820 – died March 13, 1906) was an American social reformer and women's rights activist who played a pivotal role in the women's suffrage movement in the United States. She was born into a Quaker family committed to social equality and began her activism early, including working for abolition and temperance. She met Elizabeth Cady Stanton in 1851, and together they led efforts for women's rights, including founding the National Woman Suffrage Association. Anthony was a leading organizer, speaker, and advocate, traveling extensively to promote the cause. She was arrested in 1872 for voting illegally, which brought national attention to the women's suffrage movement. The women's suffrage amendment to the U.S. Constitution—the Nineteenth Amendment—ratified in 1920, is often called the Susan B. Anthony Amendment in her honor. Her life's work laid the foundation for women gaining the right to vote, though she died 14 years before this achievement. She also helped form the League of Women Voters, which continues to be active today. Her papers and legacy are preserved in several institutions, and she was the first woman depicted on U.S. coinage with a dollar coin issued in 1979.