Birthday of Susan B. Anthony
February 15
The right to vote
Down through the years, pictures of famous men—mostly
presidents—have appeared on American money. Finally, from 1979-1981,
the U.S. government minted a coin with the picture of a woman on it. The
coin was a dollar, and the woman was Susan B.
Anthony. She is famous because she fought to give women the same rights
as men.
Susan B. Anthony was born on February 15, 1820. At that time, women had
few rights under the law. In most states, women could not own property
or vote. When Susan Anthony grew up, she worked for equal rights for
women—especially the right to vote.
Susan B. Anthony voted in the 1872 election for President. A few
weeks later, she was arrested. At that time, women were not allowed to
vote.
Susan Anthony did not live to see her dream come true. She died in 1906,
fourteen years before women won the right to vote. She is so admired for
her work that some states and many schools celebrate Susan B. Anthony
Day on February 15, her birthday.
Other states honor her on August 26, Women’s Equality Day, the date on
which the 19th Amendment was made part of the U.S. Constitution. This
law gave all women in the United States the right to vote.
This U.S. coin is the Susan B. Anthony dollar.
