Susan B. Anthony: The Feminist Movement

Feminism is defined as the belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities (“Feminism”). Throughout history, women strived for rights that men had but women did not acquire such as the right to education, voting, equal pay, abortion, and divorce. Major, influential feminists include Susan B. Anthony, a well known suffragist who fought for the right to vote; Hillary Clinton, the Secretary of State and presidential candidate for the 2016 election; Malala Yousafzai, a Pakistani activist for women’s education, and many more. The Feminist Movement essentially began in 1848 when Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott organized the first Seneca Falls Convention in Seneca Falls, NY. Because the Feminist Movement spans from 1848 to the present day, it is divided into three so called ‘waves’. The Seneca Falls Convention was the beginning of the first wave of feminism which spanned from 1848-1920. The second wave of feminism began in 1921 and continued through 1960, while the third wave of feminism followed in 1961 and continued through the present day. Women's suffrage, birth control, and equal pay were central issues in the three waves of feminism that shaped women's rights in America.

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Susan B. Anthony was opposed to the Fourteenth Amendment because it gave rights to citizens regardless of race, but it did not mention gender. Congress voted against the proposal; however, in 1869 James Brooks reintroduced it as part of the Fifteenth Amendment (Imbornoni). His proposal was once again denied. When the Fifteenth Amendment was passed, it became the model for the suffrage amendment or Susan B. Anthony Amendment. The Susan B. Anthony amendment was discussed regularly in Congress from 1880 until 1919 when it was finally signed and sent to states for ratification