American icon and women right’s activist Susan B Anthony was arrested on November 18, 1872, from Rochester, New York. Her crime – she, along with 14 other women tried to vote. As the US waits with unabated breath for the results of the midterm elections, a lot has changed in 146 years. From being denied the right to vote to now women standing for elections, women’s rights have seen a great progress in over a century’s time.
Honoring Anthony, women of Rochester, her native, poured in great numbers to stick “I Voted” stickers on her grave. While this happens every year, the turnout for this year is unprecedented.
“I Voted”
As reported by The Washington Post, Mayor of Rochester, Lovely Warren, on October 6 told the Associated Press that the ritual of pasting stickers on Anthony’s grave has become “a rite of passage for many citizens”. Apart from this, she also said that unlike every day while the cemetery closes at 5:30 pm, on Election Day, it closed at 9 pm. This is being done to reflect the historic inclusion of Hillary Clinton as a first presidential candidate from a major political party in the US.
This Election Day, voters are covering Susan B. Anthony’s grave in Rochester, New York with their "I voted" stickers.
Posted by Fox News on Tuesday, November 6, 2018
https://www.facebook.com/strangegraves/photos/a.2150830538325586/2242444432497529/?type=3&theater
Women put "#IVoted" stickers on Susan B. Anthony’s gravehttps://t.co/Y5pZ81GYNp pic.twitter.com/xbcuyamc9t
— The Hill (@thehill) November 6, 2018
Who was Susan B Anthony?
Born on February 15, 1820, Susan B Anthony went to be a major American social reformer and women rights’ activist. He activism played a major role in the women’s suffrage movement. She is credited with co-founding The Revolution, women’s right newspaper.
Susan’s association with fellow activist and reformer Elizabeth Cady Station led to some very fruitful work in the upliftment of women. Both of them worked and compiled a six-volume publication-”History of Woman Suffrage”, work for which began in 1876.
Susan B. Anthony was charged a fine of $100 #OnThisDay in 1872 for attempting to vote in the presidential election.
(��: @librarycongress) pic.twitter.com/sEDCq0gwD6— American Experience (@AmExperiencePBS) November 5, 2018
In 1872 presidential election, on the election day, Anthony with 14 women from her ward convinced election inspectors to allow them to cast votes. On November 18, 1872, Anthony was arrested for “illegally voting” because till then women were not allowed to vote. Her trial became a national controversy. It also became a critical step in the transition of women’s rights to women’s suffrage movement. However, it was in 1920 that the 19th amendment was finally passed giving women the right to vote, almost 14 years after Anthony’s death.
Also Read: Women In Politics: A Long Way To Go
