On March 8th 1884, Susan B. Anthony, argued before the U.S. Judiciary Committee for an amendment to the Constitution for the right of  women to have the vote.

Susan B Anthony was one of the leaders of the women’s suffrage movement in the US.

She was born in 1820 and growing up in a Quaker household she believed in temperance, the abolition of slavery and equal rights.

She gave rousing speeches on abolition and the right to vote at a time when it was deemed not ‘seemingly’ for women to do so. She was a great organiser and campaigner.

Along with Elizabeth Cady Stanton she was an editor of ‘The Revolution’ the newspaper of the American Equal Rights Association.

After the US Civil War the passing of the 14th and 15th amendments to the Constitution insured new rights to former slaves. The 14th, however, inserted the word ‘male’ into the right to vote.  It declared that all male citizens over twenty-one years old should be able to vote.

To  support or not to support split the suffrage movement in the States with Elizabeth Stanton and Susan Anthony, wanting the word ‘male’ removed. They formed the National Women’s Suffrage Association.

In 1872 Susan Anthony was arrested for voting and fined $100 – a very large amount in those days.

She died in 1906 having campaigned tirelessly for equal rights and social reform.