“At the election of President and Vice President of the United States, and members of Congress, in November, 1872, Susan B. Anthony, and several other women, offered their votes to the inspectors of election, claiming the right to vote, as among the privileges and immunities secured to them as citizens by the fourteenth amendment to the Constitution of the United States. The inspectors, Jones, Hall, and Marsh, by a majority, decided in favor of receiving the offered votes, against the dissent of Hall, and they were received and deposited in the ballot box. For this act, the women, fourteen in number, were arrested and held to bail, and indictments were found against them severally, under the 19th Section of the Act of Congress of May 30th, 1870, (16 St. at L. 144.) charging them with the offense of “knowingly voting without having a lawful right to vote.” The three inspectors were also arrested, but only two of them were held to bail, Hall having been discharged by the Commissioner on whose warrant they were arrested. All three, however were jointly indicted under the same statute-for having “knowingly and willfully received the votes of persons not entitled to vote” Source: http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/anthony/preface.html
Judge Hunt -(Ordering the defendant to stand up), “Has the prisoner anything to say why sentence shall not be pronounced?”
Miss Anthony- Yes, your honor, I have many things to say; for in your ordered verdict of guilty, you have trampled under foot
every vital principle of our government. My natural rights, my civil rights, my political rights, my judicial rights, are all alike
ignored. Robbed of the fundamental privilege of citizenship, I am degraded from the status of a citizen to that of a subject; and
not only myself individually, but all of my sex, are, by your honor’s verdict, doomed to political subjection under this, so-called,
form of government.
Judge Hunt- The Court cannot listen to a rehearsal of arguments the prisoner’s counsel has already consumed three hours in
presenting.
Miss Anthony- May it please your honor, I am not arguing the question, but simply stating the reasons why sentence cannot,
in justice, be pronounced against me. Your denial of my citizen’s right to vote, is the denial of my right of consent as one of the
governed, the denial of my right of representation as one of the taxed, the denial of my right to a trial by a jury of my peers as
an offender against law, therefore, the denial of my sacred rights to life, liberty, property and-
Judge Hunt- The Court cannot allow the prisoner to go on.
Miss Anthony- But your honor will not deny me this one and only poor privilege of protest against this high-handed outrage
upon my citizen’s rights. May it please the Court to remember that since the day of my arrest last November, this is the first time
that either myself or any person of my disfranchised class has been allowed a word of defense before judge or jury-
Judge Hunt– The prisoner must sit down-the Court cannot allow it.
Miss Anthony- All of my prosecutors, from the 8th ward corner grocery politician, who entered the compliant, to the United
States Marshal, Commissioner, District Attorney, District Judge, your honor on the bench, not one is my peer, but each and all
are my political sovereigns; and had your honor submitted my case to the jury, as was clearly your duty, even then I should
have had just cause of protest, for not one of those men was my peer; but, native or foreign born, white or black, rich or poor,
educated or ignorant, awake or asleep, sober or drunk, each and every man of them was my political superior; hence, in no
sense, my peer. Even, under such circumstances, a commoner of England, tried before a jury of Lords, would have far less
cause to complain than should I, a woman, tried before a jury of men. Even my counsel, the Hon. Henry R. Selden, who has
argued my cause so ably, so earnestly, so unanswerably before your honor, is my political sovereign. Precisely as no
disfranchised person is entitled to sit upon a jury, and no woman is entitled to the franchise, so, none but a regularly admitted
lawyer is allowed to practice in the courts, and no woman can gain admission to the bar-hence, jury, judge, counsel, must all be
of the superior class.
Judged Hunt- The Court must insist-the prisoner has been tried according to the established forms of law.
Miss Anthony- Yes, your honor, but by forms of law all made by men, interpreted by men, administered by men, in favor of
men, and against women; and hence, your honor’s ordered verdict of guilty; against a United States citizen for the exercise of
“that citizen’s right to vote,” simply because that citizen was a woman and not a man. But, yesterday, the same man made
forms of law, declared it a crime punishable with $1,000 fine and six months imprisonment, for you, or me, or you of us, to give
a cup of cold water, a crust of bread, or a night’s shelter to a panting fugitive as he was tracking his way to Canada. And every man or woman in whose veins coursed a drop of human sympathy violated that wicked law, reckless of consequences, and was justified in so doing. As then, the slaves who got their freedom must take it over, or under, or through the unjust forms of law, precisely so, now, must women, to get their right to a voice in this government, take it; and I have taken mine, and mean to take it at every possible opportunity.
Judge Hunt- The Court orders the prisoner to sit down. It will not allow another word.
Miss Anthony- When I was brought before your honor for trial, I hoped for a broad and liberal interpretation of the
Constitution and its recent amendments, that should declare all United States citizens under its protecting gis-that should declare
equality of rights the national guarantee to all persons born or naturalized in the United States. But failing to get this
justice-failing, even, to get a trial by a jury not of my peers-I ask not leniency at your hands-but rather the full rigors of the law:
Judge Hunt- The Court must insist-
(Here the prisoner sat down.)
Judge Hunt- The prisoner will stand up.
(Here Miss Anthony arose again.)
The sentence of the Court is that you pay a fine of one hundred dollars and the costs of the prosecution.
Miss Anthony- May it please your honor, I shall never pay a dollar of your unjust penalty. All the stock in trade I possess is a
$10,000 debt, incurred by publishing my paper- The Revolution -four years ago, the sole object of which was to educate all
women to do precisely as I have done, rebel against your manmade, unjust, unconstitutional forms of law, that tax, fine, imprison and hang women, while they deny them the right of representation in the government; and I shall work on with might and main to pay every dollar of that honest debt, but not a penny shall go to this unjust claim. And I shall earnestly and persistently continue to urge all women to the practical recognition of the old revolutionary maxim, that “Resistance to tyranny is obedience to God.”
Judge Hunt- Madam, the Court will not order you committed until the fine is paid.
Susan B Anthony argued that her ability to vote as a women was protected by the 14th Amendment’s privileges and immunities clause. The court disagreed with her and proceeded to fine her for knowingly voting in an election when she did not have the right to.
The Susan B Anthony case involved prominent women right’s leader Susan B. Anthony and other women, involved with the movement, offering their votes to election inspectors. Doing so, under the claim that their right to vote was protected under the clause of the 14th amendment that secured certain privileges and immunities under the constitution. The inspectors accepted the votes, and thus all of the women were arrested and inspectors were also indicted for willfully and knowingly taking the votes. The court ultimately ruled that her right to vote was not protected under this clause.
Her bravery is to be admired and commended. She was ahead of time. She was a strong advocate for women’s voting rights. She was a founder of the Suffrage movement, in which women had to fight for participation in all government and civil society levels as equals.
Women’s right to vote is important in order to express their political views. What I don’t understand is why in the past man had problems with allowing women to exercise their right? It belonged to them as American citizens. What I see are selfish men trying to maintain power at all costs.
Daisy, do you not answer your own question…
Susan B. Anthony, being the one to get the ball rolling for the Suffrage Movement, did indeed bring the idea of combining the 14th and 15th Amendment to the forefront. She knows the laws front and back as well as many interpretations for how it could be read and makes sure that everyone knows just what kind of laws can be realized if they are read from a different angle. She is clever and makes sure everyone knows it.
In this case, Susan B Anthony was found guilty for illegally voting in the presidential election. The argument that the 14th amendment extended to women as well was shut down. I know Susan B Anthony focused on the rights of white women, and I wonder how much they stood to gain from that? How much traction would a fight for “all women” have gotten at the time? I know there is a lot of harm in that thought process as well.
United States v. Susan B. Anthony was a case decided by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1873. Susan B. Anthony was a suffragette who was charged with illegally voting in the 1872 presidential election. At the time, women did not have the right to vote under federal law. During her trial, Anthony argued that the 14th Amendment to the Constitution, which guarantees equal protection under the law, extended to women and that the government could not deny them the right to vote. The court ultimately found Anthony guilty and imposed a fine, but her case helped bring national attention to the suffrage movement and the struggle for women’s right to vote. The 19th Amendment to the Constitution, which granted women the right to vote, was ratified in 1920, nearly 50 years after Anthony’s trial. The case remains an important part of American history, as it helped lay the groundwork for the eventual recognition of women’s suffrage and voting rights.
I hear the criticism that Susan B. Anthony was only fighting for white women’s rights to vote, and I’m torn on how I feel about that. Moreover, what I don’t understand is perhaps a matter of timing or enforcement, but why was she arrested for voting in the first place? Did she not have the right to vote at the time? I can see her perhaps being arrested by a person or group who didnt think she should be able to vote, but that a judge found her guilty is what I don’t get.
While I applaud what the suffragettes accomplished, they were fighting only for the voting rights of white women. However, I do really like her response and the way the judge responded to her just shows how little power women had at the time. It seemed to me that the judge was very hostile towards her as if though the rights she mentioned absolutely did not apply to her. Once again, these laws were created by men for men.
In this dialogue, it is clear that Susan B. Anthony believes that it is her right as a U.S. citizen to vote, regardless of gender. I think that quote that most conveys this is when she said, ” the slaves who got their freedom must take it over, or under, or through the unjust forms of law, precisely so, now, must women, to get their right to a voice in this government, take it; and I have taken mine, and mean to take it at every possible opportunity.” Anthony also hints at resent towards the slaves that gained freedom in this quote. I think that she was bitter that Black men, which in many white women’s opinion at the time were beneath them were given this freedom and she was not. I think that this may have been a driving force to some of her enragement.
I found this dialogue to be incredibly interesting, as it very clearly outlines the hypocrisy of who was truly recognized as a “citizen” under the law, and how far these alleged “protected rights” truly extended. I found this part to be the most impactful “but by forms of law all made by men, interpreted by men, administered by men, in favor of men, and against women; and hence, your honor’s ordered verdict of guilty; against a United States citizen for the exercise of “that citizen’s right to vote,” simply because that citizen was a woman and not a man.” Susan B. Anthony was correct in asserting the idea that the definition of “citizen” was weak and ever-bending to the definition that would best suit men whenever it was called to question.
I think what Anthony did was a powerful act of civil disobedience. She brilliantly explained that for women, the American Revolution and the Constitution were deeds half done. Her way of noticing how the whole system was operated by men who necessarily treated her as a subject. Her rhetoric is reminiscent of progressives, socialists and anarchists of the late 19th and early 20th century who were similarly skilled in pointing out the internal contradictions of American liberal democracy.
While the contents of the case are important, I found more impressive Anthony’s continuous stream of defense regardless of what the judge was saying. He was trying to silence her, but she did not let up and articulately and peacefully conveyed her message. The punishment was ridiculous, and I’m happy she never paid the fine.
The legality of this case confuses me. As a citizen, was she not guaranteed the right to vote under the 14th amendment? This case was a catalyst for women to begin standing up for themselves and enacting change.
Ask me about this in class.
Susan B. Anthony, a suffrage, and the person that comes to mind when it comes to feminism and female equality under the law. Alongside fourteen other women decided to cast her vote for President, Vice President (at the time it was a separate vote) and member of Congress in 1872. For this, she was seen violating the Fifteenth Amendment, since she did not have the right to vote, because she was a woman. Arguing that, because she held US citizenship, she ought to have the right to vote for her representative in DC. This led to her arrest and subsequent trial. Despite her arguments, Susan B. Anthony was found guilty and fined $100 (which would be $2473.31 in 2023 dollars) which she did not pay.
Susan B. Anthony is an important figure during this time and subject in history. Although she should be canceled for her racist comments towards African Americans and voting. She was bashing one party in order to prove her point that isn’t something a real feminist would do. To be quite honest I was never aware or taught that Susan was racist. Although she was racist she did stick up for something she believed in and that took courage.
This was significant, and she had clearly known what she was doing throughout this, as it gave her a platform to make her points and present her side. I also want to acknowledge the fact that the Judge had no control over the court based on the transcripts, and I find that weird. He seemed incompetent, and I wonder why he allowed it to go on, and then just allowed her to not pay the fine without any extra penalty.
Susan B. Anthony was found guilty of violating the Enforcement Act of 1870 and New York law by voting illegally and fined $100 in this trial. Only when there is a question of fact, not when there is a question of law, does a person have the right to a jury trial. Susan B Anthony was an outspoken advocate for women’s rights who made some powerful arguments during her trial. However, her fight seemed to center around white women and not all women which makes me think that she didn’t have the best interest of women.
In my opinion it was bold of Susan B Anthony to go in front of a judge and justify her right to vote. However, I can’t help but wonder what would happen if the judge agreed with her instead of finding her guilty. Voting seems to be a privilege that is not included in citizenship and with lots of factors that can stop a citizen from voting (such as gender).
I don’t think we need to admired Susan B. Anthony, but I will recognized her importance figure for her work in women’s suffrage. Though, I feel her fights and activism was more self-serving sometimes. Because of women like her, we got to vote. I think there’s also a lot of worthy criticisms of her such as her opposing the 15th Amendment to give African American men rights to vote. This view of hers, split the women suffrage movement into two organizations, the white women group and the black women.
Forgive me if I’m interpreting this incorrectly, but it’s great how Anthony is using arguing against the conflict of which amendments the court stand for in this case where she isn’t being given a proper jury in front of her peers while the court is arguing that every rule has been followed as need be. There’s a clear difference at this point in time between how men thought the law was working and where women could see there existed legal differences for each class.
just an aside, the Constitution does not guarantee a “proper jury in front of her peers.”
Susan B Anthony truly fought for women’s rights and made some influential arguments during her case. It is true, that under the fourteenth amendment every person born in the United States should be protected under the law and should not have their privileges and rights taken away from them. This should have been a clear rhetorical argument that allowed her protection, but unfortunately it didn’t. I remember reading a lot about her as a kid, and it’s empowering to know more about the women who fought for all of women’s rights that we currently have now.
I think it’s more correct to say she fought for white women’s rights.
I had heard of Susan B. Anthony and vaguely remembered something about her arrest, but reading quotes from her trial is wonderful. This is clearly upholding the lack of explicit women’s right to vote in previous constitutional amendments and federal laws regarding voting, but it’s an interesting testament to her bravery. You could argue about setting precedents for these individual situations, but there is much to be said about fighting injustice through direct action.
Susan B. Anthony is a very admirable women. I can’t believe how hard it must have been to stand in front of the jury and tell him about the non existing rights to vote she is denied. She is trying so hard to open the eyes of the judge, I can feel the frustration of having to convince a man of how wrong it is for a women to be judged by only men, with laws made only by men, in a country where even black men were first mentioned in the constitution. Of course she still finds herself in a better situation than a Black women who wouldn’t not even been considered for a hearing.
The Susan B. Anthony trial illuminates the privilege of white women as opposed to their racial minority counterparts who likely wouldn’t have been able to receive a trial even if Anthony was still punished. This trial scene also reminds me of the scene in the movie Iron Jawed Angels where the activists are similarly arrested and refuse to pay the fines they were charged with. I wonder if this trial is what the scene and plot of the movie is based off of.
I wanted to respond to Arthur’s comment and I appreciated how he worded this. “I see voting as a privilege that can either be expanded or made more strict” and he hit the nail on the head. I just wasn’t able to word it like this in my previous responses. As I learn more I realize how very controlled the public’s privileges are by the government. Is it bad to wish that everyone would get along and acknowledge that we are all people who deserve rights? I wish it wasn’t too much to ask. Who else has thought of moving out of the country lol
Reading this transcript absolutely moved me. Susan B. Anthony was such a strong and brave woman who paved the way for future generations. The way she did not hesitate to speak her mind while the judge repeatedly dismissed her out of hand is remarkable. I wish I had the fortitude that she had as the only thing she was afraid of was that her voice was not going to be heard. She spoke her mind and never stood down.
Though the law did prevent voting discrimination based on race, it never specified gender, which is what that judge was basing his guilty verdict off of. It is however an unfair verdict considering how women were left out of the laws allowing votes. I also noted how she wasn’t even tried in front of a jury as is part of due process, the judge just delivered a verdict based on his own opinions and refused to listen to her arguments. That is the issue with excluding groups in amendments.
The issue here, as we learned in POLS 359, is that there is no guaranteed right to vote from the Constitution. From the cases I have read thus far, I see voting as a privilege that can either be expanded or made more strict depending on what Federal amendments exist and how the state constitutions are made. This is one such case that demonstrates the federal constitution did not recognize voting as a right for all genders until the 19th amendment passed due to a number of other states allowing females to vote in their state elections.
Arguing that the right to vote was granted via the 14th Amendment, Susan B. Anthony and other women cast their vote in the 1872 presidential election. They were arrested and held for illegally voting. During the trial Anthony argued that without the right to vote women are merely political subjects and since she is not considered a “citizen” she thereby shouldn’t be subject to sentencing.
Ashanti Simpkins Feb 8, 2021
Susan B. Anthony’s bravery was remarkable. Although her work was very noninclusive (no fighting for black women’s rights) she was, however, courageous and outspoken.
Reply
Comments above copied from original document
Grace Castillo Rojo Moreno
Grace Castillo Rojo Moreno Feb 8, 2021
Susan B. Anthony was brave enough to speak for her gender but she did not acknowledge her privilege as a WHITE women and totally forgot about black women were suffering even worse that white women were at the time. Susan is an example of bravery but unfortunately she did not speak up for everyone and she did not include everyone.
Reply
Comments above copied from original document
Denice Bernal
Denice Bernal Feb 2, 2021
It is interesting to see how Anthony can see a problem with the lack of white women amongst her peers and how this would affect her outcome. Surely the men were aware of that and that is why they wanted to make no room for woman in order to keep their power and impose their will. This might be similar to the reasons why white women did not want to share their platform with WOC.
Reply
Comments above copied from original document
Haneen Abdelhafez
Haneen Abdelhafez Feb 2, 2021
As powerful and persistent as Susan B. Anthony’s actions were, it is yet again meaningless when she is solely fighting for the rights of white women. She exclaims to the judge, “Not only myself individually, but all of my sex, are, by your honor’s verdict, doomed to political subjection under this, so-called, form of government.” Are Black and minority women not apart of her sex as well? She did not believe in equality for all of her sex, so it is impossible for me to see past this.
Reply
Comments above copied from original document
Anastasia Pogrebchtchikov
Anastasia Pogrebchtchikov Feb 2, 2021
In this case, Susan B Anthony fought for women’s rights with great courage against a judge and jury of men who did not believe that Anthony had rights. The Judge consistently dismissed Anthony and her concerns regarding the amendments. Anthony brings up very valid points such as how the jury is not filled w her peers since there were
no women, only white men. As many other have said below in the comments, this may have been a big step in equality for white women but continued to push the gap between races in gender equality even further.
Reply
Comments above copied from original document
Krystal Garcia Centeno
Krystal Garcia Centeno Feb 2, 2021
This would have been so much more cool if it was inclusive to Black women. I think she did a great job advocating for herself and other white women. It definitely took bravery to do what she did. Like others have said, unfortunately Anthony is a great example of how deep racism is in our history and how modern day education on women’s suffrage erases Black women altogether, or refuses to look at history from an honest, racial lens.
Reply
Comments above copied from original document
Mayra Villa
Mayra Villa Feb 2, 2021
Although Susan B. Anthony was someone who stood up for herself against the judge and in a room full of men which is clearly seen in this case, and is someone who played a grand part for women’s suffrage in this country, it’s also important to note that she did exclude Black women throughout her journey. While she advocated for (white) women to have the right to vote along with other white feminists, she was a racist towards nonwhite women. During the Seneca Falls Convention, it’s been said that no Black woman was even invited to attend even though they were also advocating for suffrage. It really shows how much part of our history is hidden from us, especially from people like Anthony who was so outspoken about her beliefs, yet turned around when issues regarding Black women and women of color came up.
Reply
Comments above copied from original document
Tanmayi Kadamuddi
Tanmayi Kadamuddi Feb 2, 2021
Reading this conversation, it is clear that Susan B. Anthony was making several logical points, and yet, the judge refused to let her speak. However, it is interesting to read this knowing full well that Susan B. Anthony cared about the female vote only in the context of white women. While she was once a part of the AERA, an organization working towards securing the vote for all female citizens regardless of race, she herself showed several instances of racism towards Black women particularly. It is interesting to consider that several of the important figures our history books in grade school praise so highly had much darker sides to them.
Reply
Comments above copied from original document
Nizar Quafisheh
Nizar Quafisheh Feb 2, 2021
I really like what Zuzanna and Nicole said, as I think it is important to note that while what Susan B. Anthony did was of great significance in what it contributed to the battle for women’s rights, one must also consider that what Susan B. Anthony was fighting for did not extend to Black women and other women of color. This being said, we truly get an understanding of how deep the hatred and racism in this country was, as a woman like Susan B. Anthony is expressing such powerful language and risking her life (not in a physical sense however in a social context) for human rights, yet she does not believe the own words she is saying when it comes to Black women and other women of color.
Reply
Comments above copied from original document
Donny Situ
Donny Situ Feb 2, 2021
Just reading how the judge responded to Susan B. Anthony was as if he plugged his ears with his fingers and refused to listen to her. She identified how stacked the trial was against her (jury) and that the decision was already made despite her finally being given a chance to defend herself. While she was the one on trial, she used it as a platform to advocate for the rights of women, not just herself. I especially enjoyed reading the part where she told off the judge about how all the laws that she had “violated” were “all made by men, interpreted by men, administered by men, in favor of men, and against women…” and the judge could not respond with anything else other than to tell her to sit down.
Reply
Comments above copied from original document
Brianna Moling
Brianna Moling Feb 2, 2021
I think in this case Susan B. Anthony was brave enough to speak up and argue against the judge and said a lot of things that probably resonated with other women. I thought it was ironic how the judge had asked if the prisoner (Anthony) had anything to say and once she did start spewing facts about inequalities women face the judge continued to tell her to sit down. The fact that she already had incurred a debt from her paper that was meant to educate women shows she was a strong advocate for (white) women’s rights.
Reply
Comments above copied from original document
Yoli Esparza
Yoli Esparza Feb 1, 2021
Susan B. Anthony was extremely brave to stand up for women’s rights regardless of how rude the judges were to her, including by not even acknowledging her as person. By doing she was basically creating a path that would allow for future progression for women’s equality.
Reply
Comments above copied from original document
Zuzanna Kubiszewska
Zuzanna Kubiszewska Feb 1, 2021
When it comes to basic rights awarded to women, intersectionality doesn’t really come into play which is obvious in the case of Susan B. Anthony since her advocacy was to grant the white woman greater liberties. That being said this case is still monumental and one that showed defiance in the face of injustice. Anthony’s monologues show calculated thought and passion surrounding her desire to obtain greater civil liberties for women and without this case a lot of the foundation of what we view to be women’s rights could have been drastically different.
Reply
Comments above copied from original document
Jeff Gemini
Jeff Gemini Feb 1, 2021
Very solid point to mention the jury being all white men and not actually her peers. The Judge trying to get her to shut up but she was 100% right and stood her ground no matter the punishment. She wasn’t perfect but I think that is a unrealistic expectations especially given the circumstances of the fight she was up against. She was very brave and continued and carved out a path for even more future progress in women’s equality.
Reply
Comments above copied from original document
Marina Pascual
Marina Pascual Feb 1, 2021
I agree with the many others that are saying that Susan B. Anthony was extremely brave to stand up for women’s right to vote. Anthony speaks very intelligently and passionately about the cause. It is disappointing that Anthony and other white suffrage activists worked with white supremacists to get the vote at the expense of Black and brown people.
Reply
Comments above copied from original document
Tina Tran
Tina Tran Feb 1, 2021
I think it was very courageous of her to stand up for what she believed in. What stood out to me the most was that she was always referred to as “the prisoner”, while she was making a strong, unprecedented argument, in the eyes of those she is speaking in front of, she didn’t matter enough for them to address her properly. Overall, I find her very inspiring to speak up, especially in the current times.
Reply
Comments above copied from original document
Emma Floyd
Emma Floyd Feb 1, 2021
Susan B. Anthony’s arguments are all incredibly clear and spot on. I think what stuck with me the most was when she said no woman was “entitled to the franchise” in regards to sitting on a jury. To have to go through this who process and be judged purely by old white men must have been absolutely infuriating to Anthony. As she states, the laws were “written by men, interpreted by men, administered by men, in favor of men.” As a women sitting in that court room, there was not a single one of her peers that was a part of the process she was going through. So even Anthony had an incredibly compelling argument through her use of the Fourteenth Amendment, the system was already rigged against her.
Reply
Kevin Lyles
Kevin Lyles
Hi Emma, please remind me of your comment ” there was not a single one of her peers” when we cover Swain v. Alabama (much later in the semester).
Feb 1, 2021•Edit•Delete
Comments above copied from original document
Kevin Lyles
Catherine Ortega
Catherine Ortega Feb 1, 2021
Wow this woman is inspiring. I love that she spoke about how even in the case of a jury being present she would not have been among peers because there would be no women. I’m amazed that they didn’t grant her a jury, best to have no witnesses when being unlawful I guess.
Reply
Comments above copied from original document
Seamus McNamara
Seamus McNamara Feb 1, 2021
It is interesting how Susan B. Anthony appropriates and blends two different causes. Often in her defense she referenced not only the abolition of slavery but that of the War for Independence. She calls for the rights based on the founding words of the white republic not for all women’s equality but white women’s equality. Susan Anthony still is defending the United States as a white republic that merely should include the other half of their politic. Perhaps I’m being to critical in my analysis of Anthony but I feel she only is strengthening her contemporary American social order of white dominance.
Reply
Comments above copied from original document
Jocelyn Rodriguez
Jocelyn Rodriguez Feb 1, 2021
I think it is very courageous of her to stand up for her beliefs, especially in this time and circumstance. She refuses to be shut down even by a judge who is reading to her, her sentencing, in the midst of vulnerability in front of the law. She continues to speak out knowing that she is not protected by the law, she shows no fear and displays nothing but courageous that is contagious and admirable.
Reply
Comments above copied from original document
Freda Doni
Freda Doni Feb 1, 2021
A very brave act. Anthony stood her ground while presenting her case eloquently. I was a bit surprised that she didn’t represent all women i.e. Black women. It saddens me that the priority of Anthony was not getting the vote for all women, the focus was on White women.
Reply
Comments above copied from original document
Matt Springer
Matt Springer Feb 1, 2021
We talk about the 1872 Election, but we don’t talk about the legendary campaign of Victoria Woodhull? She was the very first women to run for president!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victoria_Woodhull#Presidential_candidate
I think what Susan B. Anthony did took guts and courage. She was well spoken and stood her ground when many others would have given in. it is astonishing to see the Judge initially give Anthony permission to defend herself, but soon tries and stop her once she makes a convincing argument. Really shows the arrogance of the court in many regards.
Reply
Comments above copied from original document
Ana Al Saad
Ana Al Saad Feb 1, 2021
It’s odd, but not surprising that the Judge asked Susan B. Anthony if she has anything to say as to why her sentence should not be pronounced and when she precedes to answer the way she deems necessary, the Judge makes multiple attempts to shut her down. Anthony does not let the Judge’s dismissiveness stop her from talking and brings up a great point about how every aspect of her trial revolved around men. Men make the law, interpret it, and administer it for the benefit of other men and she makes that known. At the end of the transcript, the Judge orders her to pay a fine, to which she says “I shall never pay a dollar of your unjust penalty. Did she never pay the fine?
Reply
Comments above copied from original document
Nicole Solayman
Nicole Solayman Jan 31, 2021
Susan B Anthony’s plight towards the women’s right to vote is an admirable plight. The power her testimony has, and her ability to present the language of the constitution, as well as vouch and defend herself is representative of how important Anthony was in the suffrage movement. She is able to use the documents of the country’s foundation to prove her point. She even uses the freedom of the enslaved as precedent to the right to vote for women. However it is imperative to note that Susan B. Anthony was an abhorrent racist and is quite literally white feminism and exclusionary feminism personified. Her fight for suffrage was exclusionary toward non-white and poor white women. Anthony uses the plight of enslaved people as a means to justify her illegal behavior, but did not look at the Black man or woman as equal to her and her movement.
I say this not to be contrarian, but to shed light on how race and gender, especially in the legal sense, are often at odds with one another. Susan b Anthony would spend her life fighting for equality, but would not and did not offer that to other marginalized people.
Reply
Comments above copied from original document
Osikenoya Usman-Aliu
Osikenoya Usman-Aliu Jan 31, 2021
This is particularly interesting because Susan is accused of illegally voting in the 1872 presidential election. She indeed did not commit a crime as she exercised her rights as a citizen by the constitution. The evidence she uses remarkable, she uses the preamble and the dictionary to define what is a citizen. By definition she is a citizen has the right to vote. This was during a time period where women where not given the right to vote. So indeed are women persons?
Reply
Comments above copied from original document
Rama Izar
Rama Izar Jan 31, 2021
Like some other people noted, the way Judge Hunt speaks to Miss Anthony is not only infuriating, but also incredibly symbolic of the circumstances. Women were extremely silenced by men in many ways at this time, so it is not surprising to see this pass onto a legal setting. Her persistence is inspiring, but the judge’s disrespect is very reminiscent of many sexist undertones we can find in modern settings.
Reply
Comments above copied from original document
Xiomara Martinez
Xiomara Martinez Jan 30, 2021
It’s infuriating how Judge Hunt would interrupt Susan B. Anthony when she spoke against the injustice that women face. The way he wouldn’t even acknowledge what she was saying but instead would disregard it demonstrates the belittlement that women struggle with when defending themselves. We still see this happen today where women get ridiculed in the courtroom. Sexism is still very much alive since men still dominate politics. Susan B. Anthony is extremely brave for doing this whatsoever.
Reply
Comments above copied from original document
Gaby Ramirez
Gaby Ramirez Jan 28, 2021
If Judge Hunt ignoring the words of Susan B. Anthony and only replying with one sentence each time doesn’t demonstrate sexism and gender inequality in the U.S., then I seriously do not know what does. This is such a classic and famous example of being denied a right for simply being a woman. Remember the excerpt we read from a former student about feeling illegitimate around male peers? That is exactly what is happening in this excerpt too.
Reply
Comments above copied from original document
Jacqueline Harmon
Jacqueline Harmon Jan 28, 2021
Susan B Anthony stood up for all women with her words. I think it is important to remember how scary it would’ve been for a woman stand up to a man like this during her time. Her words are so powerful and I respect her so much. I love how she states that women need to protect themselves and not have a man do it for her. Women are always being told that men are our protectors, but Susan B Anthony stepped in and said no, women can do it themselves.
Reply
Comments above copied from original document
Annmarie Gobin
Annmarie Gobin Jan 27, 2021
I think that it was so powerful she acknowledged that her ‘jury of peers’ were made up of all men, men who had more power than she did because they can vote whereas she cannot. I think that this shows the sexism that is deeply rooted in American Politics especially when she points out how all the laws were made by men. I think that it is so ironic when the poster boy of what a woman can or cannot do is a man and I think Anthony pointed this exact fact out. Men have no right to say what a woman can and cannot do because they are not women nor do they identify as one.
Reply
Comments above copied from original document
Malak Kanan
Malak Kanan May 7, 2020
“No self respecting woman should wish or work for the success of a party that ignored her sex.” Susan B Anthony spoke facts when standing up to the idea that men create laws against women, which is very true today, for example, abortion. I’m going to ignore how men were glorified when it came to politics because I feel like there are more important things to understand when it comes to Susan B Anthony. Funny that Susan B Anthony talks about ignoring people when it comes to politics because she ignored black women during the suffrage movement. She focussed on white women’s suffrage over voting rights for all women. Fun fact, Anthony argued that if white women could vote, they could take out the black male vote. Anthony was no queen. If she truly cared for the suffrage of women, she would care for the black women vote as well:)
Reply
Comments above copied from original document
Amaya Orellano
Amaya Orellano May 5, 2020
Susan B Anthony took an inspiring stand for her own rights in the face of some very frightening officials. She was extremely brave in her open defiance of the court by both refusing to be silent by continuing to argue her case as well as refusing to remain seated.
Reply
Comments above copied from original document
Deidre Mensah
Deidre Mensah Feb 18, 2020
I felt so empowered by Miss Anthony’s bravery. Many people will stutter and be afraid to speak like this in front of any law enforcement personnel, but Miss Anthony did the opposite. She put her foot down and stood firmly for what she believed in without the fear of being punished more than she would have received or the fear of being harmed. This taught me one thing, to never give up on what I believe in or what I want just because other people are against it. Fight for it and through that fight you’ll feel fulfilled even if what you were fighting for has not been granted yet. I believe being self-fulfilled will empower you more to go harder and fight harder until you finally get what you want, even when everybody around you is against you.
Reply
Comments above copied from original document
Jessica Myles
Jessica Myles Feb 6, 2020
Anthony’s stance against injustice was inspirational and powerful. I commend her for not giving up on her right to vote regardless of what men were telling her to do. The judge did not seem to care much about then content of her speech, but instead continued to blindly justify his actions against her. When she spoke about not getting proper due process because she was not heard by a group of her peers I agreed. Those group of men are not her peers and may have difficulty relating to her.
Reply
Comments above copied from original document
Alexis Rodriguez
Alexis Rodriguez Feb 6, 2020
I think Susan Anthony’s stance was quite powerful. As well as stating she was not going to pay a cent to the court because she did not agree with the interpretation of the Constitution. I did come across one of her quotes, “I declare to you that woman must not depend upon the protection of man, but must be taught to protect herself, and there I take my stand.” I think this is one of the reasons why she was so well spoken and questioning women’s rights. Although her stance was probably fighting for women’s rights, I still believe she did pave the movement for women of all color, fighting for their rights – against the gender who created the Constitution and Amendments.
Reply
Comments above copied from original document
Emma Acosta
Emma Acosta Feb 5, 2020
I thought it was interesting how the Judge kept ordering Anthony around, in order to reassert their power. I thought it was powerful when Susan B Anthony said “Robbed of the fundamental privilege of citizenship, I am degraded from the status of a citizen to that of a subject; and not only myself individually, but all of my sex, are, by your honor’s verdict, doomed to political subjection under this, so-called, form of government”. I appereciated this because it demonstrates how the constitution’s protections did not extent to everyone, and I could appreciate the bravery it took claim this before a judge, however, in the back of my head I still think about her investment in white supremacy and how even a disenfranchised person herself she could not extent solidarity to others.
Reply
Comments above copied from original document
Deleted user
Deleted user Feb 5, 2020
People felt that women should not be allowed to vote because they were not inherently smart enough to understand politics. However, here we see Miss Anthony clearly stating legitimate reasons. I can only imagine the disbelief of all the men sitting in that court. She made extremely great points and I cannot understand why anyone would not agree with them. Unfortunately, I feel like most men including the judge were more preoccupied about her disruption and “disrespect” than they were about what she was saying. I can also see how Miss.Anthony was placing her life on the line to speak out against her government. It’s an extremely dangerous thing to do, and even today most would be afraid to do something like what she did. I also think it was very bold for those women to go vote knowing they could be jailed. I almost wonder why they did not just give women the option to vote, if most argued that women had better things to worry about , why did they not just make it an option? Men had the option to vote or not, I’m not sure I follow men’s reasoning for this.
Reply
Comments above copied from original document
Deleted user
Deleted user Feb 4, 2020
In this example, it is astonishing to see how the Judge does not give the defendant, in this case the women, an opportunity to defend themselves. From Miss Anthony’s statement we see that the women being prosecuted had their rights violated. It is clear that the system was against them and the Judge had no intention of giving them a fair trial. Judge Hunt was disrespectful and rude to Miss Anthony and did not represent the government that was established by the constitution. She was being deprived of a fair trial. He only cared about having the fine paid and did not care about the circumstances of what they were being accused for and determine if she is liable or not. Miss Anthony made the case for women’s rights and new that she had to contradict the court in order to fight for what she believed was right.
Reply
Comments above copied from original document
Deleted user
Deleted user Feb 4, 2020
This case is a good example of the importance of breaking the law in order to affect change in American history. It should be considered a patriotic duty to intentionally break unjust laws in a public manner, lest one tacitly approves of unjust laws through silence and inaction. The members of society who disagreed with Anthony and vilified her for her non-compliance remind me of people today who defend police misconduct and support the suppression of the right to protest. I remember overhearing my coworkers talking about how they hope a law passes that would make it legal to run over protesters in their car. These were the same people who said of the Black Lives Matter movement that there would no problem if they simply complied with police. How truly pathetic and un-American it is to bow to authority.
Reply
Comments above copied from original document
Deleted user
Deleted user Feb 4, 2020
Despite making an articulate reasoning and argument that her rights are being trampled on, the court seems incredibly dismissive. Just from a glance we see Anthony’s testimony because blocked into large paragraphs and her statements are hardly given any validation with laconic dismissals from the court. A sign of the times to be sure that while Constitution and all of its alleged glory provides for a government supposedly run by peers and ruled with fair trial provides no such basis towards non-white males.
Reply
Comments above copied from original document
Elsi Ramos
Elsi Ramos Feb 3, 2020
Susan B. Anthony did what a lot of women wished they could’ve done, which is demand her rights and correct those who deny her of her rights. She points out the facts such as the jury lacking any similarities to her and the fact that they were denying her the right to vote when it is cleary in the constitution.
Reply
Comments above copied from original document
Deleted user
Deleted user Jan 30, 2020
I agree with Susan B. Anthony and her argument about being disenfranchised and not given the opportunity of a judge or jury. She makes a great point about not having any peers on the bench and how all the men there are her political superior or sovereign. I agree with other comments, that I’d be interested in knowing if she was fighting for ALL women’s right to vote and for equal treatment in the court of law or just white women.
Reply
Comments above copied from original document
Deleted user
Deleted user Jan 30, 2020
The dialogue of the transcript from United States v. Susan B Anthony, shows the overwhelming fight for women’s rights. The notion of imprisonment for trying to exercise a God given right is absurd. The court did not even want to hear what Susan B. Anthony stated, it showed how the idea of women suffrage was viewed from the man (courts) perceptive. It was daunting to perceive this notion that a fine of $100 was the punishment for trying to vote, while she was not even given a trail with a “jury of her peers”. Even within that context, a trail with her peers would not have meant having women sit in as Jurys. The question in mind would be if Susan B Anthony acknowledged women of color or just white women rights? I foresee that being white women, because women of color were not allowed to march in the suffrage movement. The stigma of this time was that “white women can get voting rights” but “I guess that means you too” but “we are not advocating for you”. Never the less, she did advocate for women rights (not women of color), and used her voice to convey this notion that she is denied her rights as a U.S. citizen based on sex.
Reply
Comments above copied from original document
Elizabeth Peralta
Elizabeth Peralta Jan 30, 2020
I agree with the statements made by Susan B Anthony in which she states that the laws although legal, are made by men are for men as well as made against womne. She shows that although the law is the rule of the land, it is not always what is correct or how society should be structured. Anthony is a great example that there should be a fight for the change in law we as citizens want until we get it rather than giving in to those above us. As I read what Anthony spoke of when she spoke of her fight for rights, I realized that there are still these movements in today’s society and although it seems like there might be no change, it is gradual and happening much like the change that happened for women after the times of Susan.
Reply
Comments above copied from original document
Leilani Rivera
Leilani Rivera Jan 30, 2020
I agree with a lot of the points that Anthony presents at the court. As a lot of my peers have mentioned, she does not advocate for Black women at all. At this point in the case is where I believe she is wrong. I could understand maybe she would think it was an overstretch but in reality, if your rights are being taken away, it does not matter if you are a white or black woman, your right is your right and it affects everyone, not just those of one color. Without stating the fact that she ignored women of color in her defense, I believe that it was very powerful. She expressed the way she and many women feel in regard to their rights. It seemed as if Hunt allowed her to speak even though he stated for her to sit down and stay silent. She still had a lot to say and was able to say it. Her fines at the end were not justified for her outbursts in court, however, I believe hunt understood some of her points, even though, he did not want to.
Reply
Comments above copied from original document
Jose Perez
Jose Perez Jan 30, 2020
The fact that these women were arrested for exercising their right to vote as a citizen is absurd. This goes to show that even then the law was one sided and against women. It was all about interpretation and most people could not interpret or accept the fact that the constitution, bill of rights and other laws were meant to include women as well. Male dominance saw to it that equality was not the case. The fact that anyone who went against the establishment was also punished ensured that change was on the backburner. During her trial I found it interesting that Anthony brought up that she is not being tried by a jury of her peers which in those times she would most likely never get. She has every right to be upset. She was also right when she said freedoms are not given but they must be taken in order for the courts to realize how those freedoms are important to people.
The on thing that did stand out was that although the court tried to silence Anthony, she must have gotten through with some of her argument. At the conclusion of her trial, she is sentenced only to a $100 fine. Yes, $100 was high then but she could have very well done jail time had she remained silent. The judge knew he was wrong and to save face had to enforce some type of penalty. Even after the verdict she refused to pay the amount as she states she would not support a fine that tried to destroy her cause. Her will and determination went a long way.
Reply
Comments above copied from original document
Abigail Zurita-Calvario
Abigail Zurita-Calvario Jan 30, 2020
I agree with many of the points Susan B. Anthony made. She is correct in regard to the way this country and its government were built, by men and for men (white men specifically). Therefore, it is impossible to apply the law fairly and justly. As she mentioned, the men involved merely got a fine and six months. I also applaud her for “keeping things real” when she mentioned that it is only the wealthy women who receive better treatment from the government or who have access to it. It is unfortunate that to this day, there is still not equal representation in government. Yet, she does make a point to explain why women should be allowed to vote – which I didn’t agree with. I believe she mentioned something about how women should have the right to vote just like slaves received freedom. Although I understand that back then, women were living in a completely patriarchal nation that denied them of their basic rights (which some may argue it is still the same situation today) among other disadvantages, their treatment does not compare even the slightest to what slavery populations went through, the extreme, inhumane, and just overall atrocious suffering they endured. Although I agree that women’s suffrage was crucial, I would say it was more urgent to abolish slavery. I would also like to know if Susan B. Anthony refers to ALL women or just white women. All throughout my educational journey, I’ve been told to praise these white male and female figures that fought for equality and a better nation. Yet, were they really fighting for me (a brown girl) or just their own? Did they intend for their exemplary actions to benefit me or did I just happen to slip by and benefit from them?
Reply
Comments above copied from original document
Alexis Taft
Alexis Taft Jan 30, 2020
I would be interested to know if Susan B. Anthony was speaking for ALL women or just specifically white women as she debates with the judge in this transcript. I am impressed by her knowledge of the law and how well-spoken she was, and I admire her confidence. She asserted herself in a way that must have been revolutionary for her time, and she paved a path for other women to do the same thing for themselves.
Reply
Comments above copied from original document
Deleted user
Deleted user Jan 29, 2020
In this transcript Susan B Anthony is defending women’s right to vote and opposing the inequality in law faced by women. What I find unfortunate about Susan B Anthony and the women’s suffrage movement overall is that the ideals and ideology that the women spoke of should have supported all women not just white women.
Reply
Comments above copied from original document
Lupe Zamudio
Lupe Zamudio Jan 29, 2020
I completely agree with Susan B. Anthony. Women should be treated as equals to men and should be given equal rights. Anthony only demanded the rights she deserves as a human being and a citizen of this “great” country. If she is not given her human and citizen rights then why should she follow the law of a country that sees her less than. I admire her courage and self worth as a women to stand up for herself and her fellow women. I have heard about Susan B. Anthony from my other college level GWS courses and have learned many things about her that make me admire her strength. She did the right thing to stand up to her male oppressors and give them the truth that they might not want to hear but what was rightfully due.
Reply
Comments above copied from original document
Brittany Tamayo
Brittany Tamayo Jan 29, 2020
I had often and frequently heard the story of Susan B. Anthony through various history classes, but I never read a transcript of what took place. Her language was interesting to read, as she asserts and is positive that she is being denied her rights as a citizen. Also, she said what I commented on another post! That the laws were written by men in favor of men, and consequently, against women.
Reply
Comments above copied from original document
Annalee Johnson
Annalee Johnson Jan 29, 2020
I think what was interesting about this case was when Susan B. Anthony cited her natural rights, civil rights, political rights, etc. as being violated by refusing her to vote, which made me wonder which rights take precedent in the court. Clearly, this court didn’t agree, but it made me curious as to what happens when the constitution is interpreted to violate itself. On the topic of whether Anthony was arguing for white women or all women in general, I believe that Anthony was arguing for the sake of solely white women, else she would have explicitly mentioned black women. Moreover, drawing upon prior knowledge of the suffrage movement, I remember that Anthony had put down the fifteenth amendment in order to raise her own argument.
Reply
Comments above copied from original document
Aysha Ahmed
Aysha Ahmed Jan 29, 2020
Although Anthony does fight for women throughout this excerpt, it is unclear if she is fighting for white women or all women. She does not mention to include Black women whom were completely ignored through out most of her time fighting for suffrage. Anthony conveniently chooses to use the term women when propagating her message but underlying is fighting solely for white women. This is another example of how history textbooks choose to include only certain parts of American history rather than providing the whole story.
Reply
Comments above copied from original document
Liliana Diaz
Liliana Diaz Jan 29, 2020
Susan B. Anthony and others voted in the 1852 election illegally and thus were arrested. I found that this case was very interesting and while it is true that Susan B. Anthony was violating the law — I found that some of the points she makes are still relevant today. For example, when she says “but by all forms of law made by men” to be so true in the time but more importantly today. It made me think of all the men in our government that try to pass laws about abortion and women reproductive rights yet they can’t carry a baby so it is none of their business.
Reply
Comments above copied from original document
Sylvia Waz
Sylvia Waz Jan 29, 2020
Susan B Anthony, among others, voted illegally and were arrested for it. It was done for a strategic way to bring up the issue of women’s suffrage. It was tried in the U.S. District court and they found her guilty.
Reply
Comments above copied from original document
Kiera Gnatz
Kiera Gnatz Jan 29, 2020
It is rather unfortunate that she didn’t present a case on behalf of Black women as well. She acknowledged in her defense that all men, both Black and white were born with a political superiority to women. Her failure to acknowledge Black women places her struggles as a white woman above the struggles of Black women, so that the hierarchy now followed white men > Black men > white women > Black women. Now, we can’t all be as great as Sojourner Truth, but it was a let down to read such a passionate argument that’s meant to support “all of [her] sex” and “all women” clearly only apply to white women.
Reply
Comments above copied from original document
Marissa Scavelli
Marissa Scavelli Jan 28, 2020
United States v. Susan B. Anthony is a historical case regarding women’s rights. Susan was arrested and tried in court for illegally voting in the 1872 election. She argued that the 14th Amendment protected women’s right to vote since the equal protection clause was a fundamental right and therefore could not be denied to women. Although this was a good argument, she was still found guilty and did not change the narrative for women’s rights just yet. Regardless, the snippet of the trial transcript was interesting to read because we can see her thought process at the time. I liked how she acknowledged in court that all forms of law are “made by men, interpreted by men, administered by men, in favor of men, and against women”. I think that was a powerful statement which shines a light on women’s oppression through the law making process and evidently within the law itself. Unfortunately, Susan B. Anthony was not totally inclusive for all women, she obviously excluded minority women from her movement which probably caused a rift between feminist groups.
Reply
Comments above copied from original document
Mary Drury
Mary Drury Jan 27, 2020
As a marginalized member of society, at the time, Susan B. Anthony -in my opinion- SHOULD have empathized with black women at the time. But, she didn’t…a comment below stated it was strategic/racist to exclude them and regardless of the case, she did. Trying to see her point of view with her myself, it shook the hierarchy of race to have a black man -who was just recently referred to as literal property-be given rights that white women, a supposed equal in marriage to a white man, were not. However, this logic compares and attempts to rank discrimination and abuse, which is not something I aim to do; I make no argument that this is an excuse but just my attempt to see her reasoning. Black males and white females have had separate struggles with the white man throughout history and I feel that would be an interesting class discussion. Blacks were outright abducted, abused, enslaved, tormented, raped, murdered, etc. and are owed more than a right to vote in 1873. White women suffered in a quieter manner with any abuse hidden and covered up. Though, as Lyles highlighted last post, both forms of abuse were legalized and normalized. The exclusion of black women in the suffrage movement centered around Susan B. Anthony is obviously strategic and rooted in racism. I expected more out of Anthony, who speaks to her own “denial of sacred rights to life, liberty, property” but turns a blind eye to anyone who struggled before, during, and after her fight. I think it is important to acknowledge and be grateful for her accomplishments, but not ignore who she stepped on during her fight to get them. Norms of the time cannot continue to be an excuse for any neglect or harm.
Reply
Comments above copied from original document
Deleted user
Deleted user Jan 24, 2020
Although Susan B Anthony appears to be fighting for all women the reality of it is she was not. She was advocating for white women being able to vote, not black and other minority women. I also think it’s crazy that she had to defend herself in court. I’m sure that could be a pretty nerve racking thing and could only imagine how that would go today if critical crucial to your life was on the line.
Reply
Comments above copied from original document
Deleted user
Deleted user Feb 18, 2019
Anthony said some very powerful words during this exchange, and without knowing more about her fight for the vote, I would believe that Susan B. Anthony was a great role model who did a lot for the advancement of women’s rights. However, I know enough to know that Anthony was against granting Black women more rights and thought that it didn’t make sense for Black men to have more rights than white women. This, of course, was not true since Black people were denied the vote well into the 1960s and are still disenfranchised in other ways today. She had problematic beliefs and these beliefs cannot be ignored when we recognize her legacy.
Reply
Comments above copied from original document
Deleted user
Deleted user Feb 5, 2019
It really was unfair to have Susan have to fight on her own and try to make points in her case. They didn’t consider her much of a citizen and continued to shut her ideas down throughout the entire thing. They wanted her to simply pay a fine and the court proceedings but didn’t even listen to her ideas. She argued her right to vote and the fact that as a tax payer she should be able to simply have these ideas and to be given a trial bu jury along with her counterparts.
Reply
Comments above copied from original document
Deleted user
Deleted user Feb 5, 2019
Reading this text ruminated many feelings and synonyms of confusion and anger. Susan B. Anthony’s tribulations to fight for women’s right to vote seemed to be good-hearted. She was brave for standing up and fighting back. However, while she does mention ‘all’ women, the main fight was for white women to be able to vote, completely leaving out black/African American and Hispanic/Latinx women as well as other marginalized women of color.
Reply
Comments above copied from original document
Deleted user
Deleted user Feb 4, 2019
Often times, when we discuss women and the right to vote, it’s placed in 1920 and is seen as a year for all women to be proud of, however, this right was reserved to white women. At the time, Black, Indigenous, and other racialized women were not able to vote. Our right to vote was not something the women like Anthony had in mind, we were not included in her framework, and our rights and ability to participate in democracy were the least of her concerns. I understand that what she’s doing here, and what she’s fighting for, has been pretty symbolic but it falls flat to me when I think of all the women she was excluding. To me, Anthony’s legacy is one that carries into today, which is the prioritization of white feminism over intersectional feminism. The interaction above demonstrates her bravery, for sure, but I can’t help but think: what if this was a Black or Indigenous woman? Would they even stand a chance in a trial?
Reply
Denver Hatcher Feb 4, 2019
This exchange between Susan B. Anthony and the court is invigorating, that is, until you reach the end and remember the exclusionary nature of her politics. It cannot be said that a person of such great intellect and analytical views could have accidentally excluded people of color from her efforts. It is all the clearer here, where she is extremely forthright, that her ideals were meant for white women, and them alone. Anthony had an obvious hold on the hypocritical and unjust nature of the law, but still was not an advocate for those who were the most oppressed.
Reply
Comments above copied from original document
Kevin Lyles
Deleted user
Deleted user Feb 4, 2019
Anthony was absolutely right that the laws were from white men, geared towards white men. She also did not have a jury of her peers. She completely dropped the ball by leaving out women of color when she was fighting for the right to vote, one could argue that she merely focused on gender in hopes of getting the results, or she did not think she would get the desired results, or she was just racist and didn’t want to include women of color. Whatever the reason was she made a mistake by excluding women of color. It takes away the notion of equality when a large percentage of the women in the United States are not included in your fight for equality.
Reply
Comments above copied from original document
Samantha Cazares
Samantha Cazares Feb 4, 2019
Anthony’s fight for women’s suffrage did not include ALL women, which can be argued as ignorant, or strategic. However, her efforts are documented and do not include women of minorities or color- so it could be argued that she wasn’t concerned about the race aspect, but merely focused on the sex and gender aspect, regardless of race. This was not the case, because she is actually argued to have been a racist because her efforts were not inclusive of non-white women. Her role in gaining women’s suffrage in general was significant and a step in the right direction.
Reply
Comments above copied from original document
Deleted user
Deleted user Feb 3, 2019
The suffrage movement led by Anthony was one that relied on preserving white supremacy and state violence to get more white men to side with the movement. Suffragists used racism and discriminatory policies of the time to back up their racism. They did not care for the unique struggles of Black women who were trying to vote, even after the 19th amendment was passed. Poll taxes, literacy tests, even asked to recite the whole entire Constitution were some of things Black men and women experienced while they tried to vote in this country in the events leading up to the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Even things such as not being able to vote if you were formerly incarcerated are forms of voter suppression in modern U.S. history since many incarcerated people are communities of color. Susan B. Anthony was a white supremacist; her “feminist” politic is dangerous, and what’s even more scary is that people S T I L L look up to her! Stop putting ” I voted” stickers on her grave @ white women!!!!
Reply
Comments above copied from original document
Lillie Elling
Lillie Elling Feb 1, 2019
I respect and agree with the arguments and points Ms. Anthony made during this sentencing, though I can only think of those she is not thinking of while saying these profound and truthful things: those who are unlike her. Throughout history, white suffragettes and feminists have excluded women of color in their movements and strides forward to only aid ourselves. We knew that in keeping them out of the conversation or keeping them out of the amended laws it would raise our chances of making any change at all. This is very flawed as it lacks the understanding that, though we are different, we suffer many of the same struggles as women and to exclude parts of our whole counterproductive and only pits us against one another. It also creates an “us against them” dynamic between women that does more harm than good. But Ms. Anthony was not thinking about any of this as she was defending herself this day in court, (and I understand I am playing devils advocate for her) she was simply looking out for herself and those that were arrested with her that day. Her words are profound and timeless, yet in the context of what she did for and against all women, they become problematic and exclusionary.
Reply
Deleted user
Deleted user
“I will cut off this right arm of mine before I will ever work or demand the ballot for the Negro and not the woman.”
-Susan B. Anthony.
Just as the State denies the existence of Black women, who are oppressed on both gender and race, SBA’s suffrage movement was one by and for white women.
Feb 2, 2019•Delete
Comments above copied from original document
Kevin Lyles
Ines Josefina Castaneda
Ines Josefina Castaneda Jan 31, 2019
Throughout all my academic career I have been told that this woman was a fighter for equality but as I have researched on my own I have been disappointment. Sure this woman was a fighter but only for white women which makes her movement very flowed. This segment proves that she was a fighter but women of color are felt out which upsets me. As a women of color myself I see this a lot on the internet and luckly I haven’t experienced in personally.
Reply
Zara Khan
Zara Khan
Hi Ines, as I was skimming through classmates’ comments your comment caught my eye. I strongly agree with you that women of color have been left out of various movements, and it is disheartening to see that. I think it is much harder for women of color to be heard, and this is why women of color have created their own feminist movements. Women of color not only face discrimination daily because they are a woman, but also because of their race and ethnicity/cultural background. Speaking as a woman of color/and minority, I have firsthand experienced discrimination because of both my sex and race, and it is really challenging to deal with this on a daily basis.
Feb 3, 2019 (edited Feb 3, 2019)•Delete
Comments above copied from original document
Kevin Lyles
Jung Kim
Jung Kim Jan 31, 2019
She spoke the truth in what they law was and how it was made by men for men and only white men, even when citizens had the right to vote, that right was not for everyone. I applaud her in her passion and courage to get women the right to vote which is not easy during a time when women were not allowed to do much. However, if a black women were to do the same thing she might get jailed for refusing to pay her dues or worse.
Reply
Comments above copied from original document
Deleted user
Deleted user Jan 31, 2019
Growing up I always told of Susan B Anthony, and while I thought this back and forth with the judge was awesome, I always have her racism in the back of my head. I think about the countless black women who marched for women’s suffrage with her. This brings us back to the point of recognizing why intersectionality was so important. Black women were facing two oppressions, sexism and racism. Susan B Anthony did not seem too concerned.
Reply
Comments above copied from original document
Patrick Scaletta
Patrick Scaletta Jan 30, 2019
I imagine everyone would agree that the charges and conviction of Ms. Anthony were primarily, if not solely, based on the fact she was a woman. I admire the post conviction plea as her argument concisely encompassed ideologies which gave rise to the 14th amendment in the first place. The 14th amendment was presumed to prohibit a State from making or enforcing “any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States.” Anthony stated she was “robbed of the fundamental privilege of citizenship.” In constructing her argument with this line of reasoning, she expanded its reach. In pointing out such ideological contradictions, the court’s finding, contained the propensity to do great harm in future criminal prosecutions where charges brought against a defendant are not nearly identical to Ms. Anthony’s charges.
Reply
Comments above copied from original document
Deleted user
Deleted user Jan 30, 2019
Overall a very eloquent defense of the Woman’s Suffrage Movement, Anthony was absolutely correct in her rebuttal of the Judge and capably argued why the entire system was set up in a way to silence women’s voices in favor of men’s. While it is important to acknowledge the fact that Anthony was not advocating for the voting rights of all women she laid out a crucial first step in the fight for equal voting rights for all minorities, gendered or otherwise. She, like all historical figures are not all good or all bad, yet was instrumental in turning America into a democracy where most (prisoners) citizens are able to vote.
Reply
Anthony Sikorski
Anthony Sikorski
I like how you brought up that Susan wasn’t advocating for the voting rights of all women. Again, as we have discussed in class, we will be learning about the experiences of white women, and even during the suffrage movement, white women discriminated against black and other minority women. But Susan did indeed help send a message to the government, and raised several legal arguments to help women get the right to vote, of which they ultimately did in 1920.
Jan 30, 2019•Delete
Comments above copied from original document
Kevin Lyles
Deleted user
Deleted user Jan 30, 2019
I applaud Susan B. Anthony for speaking up on behalf of others even when she was told to sit down and discouraged many times from speaking her truth. I may not be aware of the full dialogue that occurred between the judge and Anthony, but I can say that a woman of color would have had a much bigger punishment than a fine. This was a time for white women, and not for any other woman who was worried more about saving her life than voting.
Reply
Comments above copied from original document
Deleted user
Deleted user Jan 29, 2019
Although I can appreciate and respect what Susan B Anthony did at this case to stand her ground and demand for her rights, in time were in the court it was a very courageous thing for women to do. I’m conflicted because of knowledge of her racist and prejudice bias towards not supporting the voting suffrage of African American women and other nonwhite women at the time. Although she may have been a pivotal historical leader I found these articles might be of interest for some to explore, even with all the historical figures we learn about from an early age sometimes as we get older we also must acknowledge their flaws along with their achievements.
https://www.aclu.org/blog/womens-rights/celebrate-womens-suffrage-dont-whitewash-movements-racism https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/28/opinion/sunday/suffrage-movement-racism-black-women.html
Reply
Comments above copied from original document
Henry Jiang
Henry Jiang Jan 29, 2019
Susan B. Anthony can be argued to be one of the bravest and most inspired individuals in world history, as she fights for the equal voting rights for women. It is incredible that while the judge denied her speech, she continued that her rights were ignored. I thought it was strong evidence that she argued that the “denial of my sacred rights to life, liberty, property” was denied by all women. I respect her determination and bravery, as I believe that she knew that she could have faced severe consequences or even perhaps assassination. Activists like Martin Luther King and Gandhi were assassinated for their help in the fight for social equality. But, the fact that she was willing to be possibly arrested or killed for the fight of equal privilege is something we must remember and respect.
Reply
Comments above copied from original document
Deleted user
Deleted user Jan 29, 2019
Susan B. Anthony possessed undeniable courage in her firmness and willingness to speak up despite the various risks and consequences she ended up subjecting herself to. However, there is one inconvenient and politically incorrect truth about Susan B. Anthony that I feel the need to share. Anthony actually recommended that the women’s suffrage movement steer focus away from fighting for the suffrage of Black women in order to gain traction among the White male community. That is not something they usually teach in your average history book, but it’s something that we ought not to turn a blind eye to.
Reply
Comments above copied from original document
Deleted user
Deleted user Feb 11, 2018
Susan B. Anthony stood her ground, even when she fully knew that she would face harsh consequences. She was consistent on pointing out how the law was made by men and was mostly used to protect men and their rights.
Reply
Comments above copied from original document
Deleted user
Deleted user Feb 11, 2018
The case demonstrates the unfairness that women faced with the right to vote. Anthony and the thirteen women were charged with “knowingly voting without having the right to vote”. If the 14th amendment stated that no state should not make or enforce a law that limits privileges and immunities of any citizen of the united states, then the women should be given the right to vote in Anthony’s argument. However, Anthony was using her white privilege to be able to vote and she did not care that women of color were not given the right to vote.
Reply
Comments above copied from original document
Deleted user
Deleted user Feb 1, 2018
This seems like a good demonstration of female disenfranchisement in general: Anthony attempting to speak and defend herself and the court ignoring and dismissing her speech outright.
Reply
Comments above copied from original document
Deleted user
Deleted user Feb 1, 2018
I think Susan B. Anthony was very brave. She was well spoken and stood her ground when many others would have given in. Also, at the time there were many who spoke out against her and others who were trying to create a movement for more equality for women. It reminds me of some of the things happening today in society and how people look at protests and protesters differently. In my opinion, it is protest and mass movements that have made some of the biggest impacts on society.
Reply
Comments above copied from original document
Deleted user
Deleted user Feb 1, 2018
If we look at Susan B. Anthony’s action of standing in front of a male judge and all-men jury, advocating for her rights as an American citizen. Then it can be considered an of progress and bravery. However, can we truly consider someone that denigrated black men and black women, and any other minority, in order to get her message across? Susan’s response was due to her and all white women’s fear of being deprived of their constitutional rights and ending up in the same category as blacks. Therefore, it is an event of progress for white women yet another example of how law and society have left behind women of color with little recognition as a citizen.
Reply
Comments above copied from original document
Deleted user
Deleted user Feb 1, 2018
A Susan B. Anthony quote that I will always carry with me, “I will cut off this right arm of mine before I will ever work or demand the ballot for the Negro and not the woman”, is why I will never look up to nor admire SAB. She advocated for the right of white women to vote with black women, Native American women, Asian women and their suffrage trailing far behind. I don’t find the progress of white women at the sake of the oppression of black people (and other poc) anything worth finding inspiration in.
Reply
Comments above copied from original document
Deleted user
Deleted user Feb 1, 2018
Susan B. Anthony was a racist that thought her plight as a white women should overrule the concerns of black women. While I don’t particularly care for Susan B. Anthony I do feel like her response to black women may have been a push toward women of color developing their own brand of feminism, which most now know as “Black Feminism”. I also feel this is around the time women such as Ida B. Wells began to understand what “intersectionality” is , despite the fact that the vocabulary was not available at the time.
Reply
Comments above copied from original document
Deleted user
Deleted user Feb 1, 2018
Susan B. Anthony was one of the first white-feminists that I learned about in school and as a high school student I looked up to her thinking I am here today learning about politics because of her. But the truth is that she was incredibly racist, along with the movement to get white women the right to vote. Yes I feel she made many strides for white women, but that should not dismiss that the society she was raised in and the beliefs she had were not inclusive, which is quite confusing that someone as politically active as her would not want black women to vote; which I feel truly shows the extent of racism during this time.
Reply
Comments above copied from original document
Deleted user
Deleted user Jan 31, 2018
How was “knowingly voting without having a lawful right to vote” something that could have been penalized? Couldn’t the election commission have just discredited the votes?
Reply
Comments above copied from original document
Deleted user
Deleted user Jan 31, 2018
I’m sorry for going off-track here, but some of the previous comments made me think about white feminist icons and how we are usually taught to ignore any troubling thing they may have advocated,
I admire the women who defied the law and registered and voted anyway. However, I feel like Susan B. Anthony is a flawed feminist icon due to her comment on black voting rights: “I will cut off this right arm of mine before I will ever work or demand the ballot for the Negro and not the woman.” I actually feel kind of conflicted because while white feminism is rooted in racism and often lacks solidarity and intersectionality with other groups, most of the landmark supreme court cases about gender mainly serve white women but help all women to an extent.
At the same time, I can’t think of any “feminist icon” who isn’t free of any problems.
For example, the founder of Planned Parenthood, Margaret Sanger, was actually involved in eugenics and sterilizing poor women.
The Constitution is really up to interpretation, In this case, the Court decided that the right to vote was not guaranteed by the 14th amendment. Equal protection should mean that the laws apply the same to everyone, but in this case since voting is not a guaranteed right, the exclusion of women was justified.
Reply
Comments above copied from original document
Deleted user
Deleted user Jan 31, 2018
What I found most interesting in this was the way she took the laws and in a way turned them on their head as a way of displaying how inconsistent the court and the law itself was since she was being tried as a citizen, but was rejected her right to vote. This dialogue shows her determination to be able to fully participate in US society despite the consequences she would have to face.
Reply
Comments above copied from original document
Deleted user
Deleted user Jan 31, 2018
My first reaction was that I loved that she just kept talking over the judge because it’s a great speech that deserved to be heard, she is right on every point she makes, and obviously this is a horrible decision by the court.
There is also a feeling from me that her words ring slightly hollow now because of her racial views. It’s hard to reconcile this kind of hypocrisy in many classic American figures. The founding fathers had many noble ideas about how the country should be, but were obviously extremely racist and sexist. FDR was likely my favorite president because of how his administration changed the economic system in favor of the poor, but I would criticize him harshly as well because that progress mostly left out people of color (not to mention the internment of Japanese-American citizens during WWII). I don’t want to take away from the good anyone has done, but I think it’s important to acknowledge their flaws.
Reply
Deleted user
Deleted user
I feel that the feelings of disappointment you express are very common when looking back at historical figures and many people, especially modern feminists, feel internal struggle with supporting a figure who had many good ideas who also expressed sentiments that would be seen as unfavorable today. From an earlier example in class Wollstonecraft had many ideas about ways to advance women however in addition to her sentiments towards slaves as merely people to be pitied, she also openly expressed her Islamophobic sentiments. Like you said, it is important to recognized the good that they have done at the same time as recognizing that these figures are far from perfect.
Jan 31, 2018•Delete
Kevin Lyles
Kevin Lyles
excellent bringing in Wollstonecraft
Jan 31, 2018•Delete
Comments above copied from original document
Kevin Lyles
Deleted user
Deleted user Jan 31, 2018
I admire Susan’s argumentation here and am somewhat impressed by her persistence and refusal of invalidation from the judge. To use her arrest and trial as an example of how unjust the legal system is represents her effective persuasion skills. On the other hand, I wouldn’t necessarily consider Susan an important activist for women’s rights. She, like many women advocates during her time, compared the oppression of Black Americans with the oppression women face. Unfortunately, she is a trailblazer in terms of setting the standard argument for “women’s rights”. Even today, people have the tendency to argue that “women” are being treated like black slaves. Somehow, it has never crossed their minds that black women exist (and I say somehow sarcastically).
Reply
Comments above copied from original document
Christopher Nevarez
Christopher Nevarez Jan 31, 2018
I appreciate Susan’s agency to stand up and demand that she have rights afforded to her based on the fact that she is a citizen of the United States. She points to how all aspects of the courts and laws were controlled by men and how they had been used to keep women oppressed. Her list of ways in which she any many others are being denied fundamental rights, simply based on their sex, is very compelling since she goes beyond the right to vote. However, while reading this, I remembered the excerpts from the post about black women and how they were usually excluded from this push for rights. This changed my view of Susan’s speech from inspiring to at the very least, hypocritical since white women complained about oppression while simultaneously segregating themselves from black suffragists and leaving them usually outside of the group for which they demanded rights.
Reply
Comments above copied from original document
Deleted user
Deleted user Jan 31, 2018
Susan B. Anthony was quick witted, well versed and she did her research. I found it interesting that even when faced with the chance of receiving a harsher punishment, she still persisted. She referenced the law and used it to point out exactly how unjustified and unequal it is. Susan B. Anthony was one of the many people that led the women’s suffrage movement.
Reply
Comments above copied from original document
Deleted user
Deleted user Jan 31, 2018
I get that Susan B. Anthony was a pivotal figure for women`s suffrage, but knowing her true politics in the matter made me cringe while reading about her case. The fact that she said “As then, the slaves who got their freedom must take it over, or under, or through the unjust forms of law, precisely so, now, must women, to get their right to a voice in this government, take it; and I have taken mine, and mean to take it at every possible opportunity” but she had a problem with Black men getting the right to vote before white women and didn`t fight for Black women`s right to vote, is very telling. She only fought for white women`s right to vote and for that, I don`t see her as an important figure for me.
Reply
Kevin Lyles
Kevin Lyles
Maybe this is want makes SBA an “especially important figure for me.” By the way, I have noticed that several students are not commenting on “Why I DON’T” teach 356 and skipping to Susan B? Why is that?
Jan 31, 2018•Delete
Deleted user
Deleted user
They probably feel more comfortable about commenting on a well-known figure that they admire over the history of sexual assault on African American women and its legality; it could be triggering, or maybe a bias. Or they saw a very long post and didn`t feel the need to read any of it.
Jan 31, 2018•Delete
Deleted user
Deleted user
Hi! I agree and also have conflicting feelings that I seem to share with you with regards to Miss Anthony. However, I think that for the environment and time period in which Miss Anthony was in, she displayed great critique in highlighting the white male dominant perspective within law. I would be curious to see if there was a case ruled by the supreme court in which there was a pivotal moment in which white women embraced the impact of women of color to push their agenda through the courts.
Jan 31, 2018•Delete
Deleted user
Deleted user
I don’t have conflicting feelings about her. I don’t like her.
Feb 1, 2018•Delete
Comments above copied from original document
Kevin Lyles
Deleted user
Deleted user Jan 31, 2018
Susan B. Anthony’s bravery in the courtroom is nothing short of admiring. She risked receiving a harsher sentence in an effort to speak her mind, argue her case, and fight for a cause that she profoundly believed in. It was clear that at the time of her trial, the law was not designed with women in mind. Rather, society as a whole was not structured to reinforce the prosperity of women.
Reply
Comments above copied from original document
Deleted user
Deleted user Jan 31, 2018
Susan B Anthony’s opening remarks really stood out to me. The Fifteenth Amendment granted the right of United States citizens to vote, without being denied or abridged by the federal government or by any state on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude. Susan B Anthony states that she was robbed of the fundamental rights of citizenship: the right to participate politically. Although the Fifteenth Amendment states that United States citizens are granted the right to vote, the intent was to only allow African American men to vote, and not women. Because the laws were created and interpreted by men, the intent of the legislatures was to allow male U.S citizens the right to vote. Anthony’s remarks , “I am degraded from the status of a citizen to that of a subject, doomed to political subjection,” also stood out to me. Without the right to vote, you lack representation and a chance to have your voice heard. This also allowed men the opportunity to continue making laws that solely served their agenda without the interference of women’s opinions.
Reply
Kevin Lyles
Kevin Lyles
Hi Tim. I appreciate your comment. However, I would argue that the 15a did “not” grant anyone the right to vote. We will explore this more…
Jan 31, 2018•Delete
Comments above copied from original document
Kevin Lyles
Deleted user
Deleted user Jan 31, 2018
Susan B Anthony’s swift and quick responses were not only witty but a clear sign of someone who has intelligently and closely examined the issue. Reminding the court that these laws were created by men and for men reinforces her case that she has not ever been appropriately represented by the US government.
Reply
Comments above copied from original document
Rachel Boesch
Rachel Boesch Jan 31, 2018
Susan B Anthony is a historic figure for this country and represents the first fight for women’s rights in the United States. This dialogue is extremely powerful and shows how passionate she was about doing what’s right. I admire her bravery and persisting nature. When she said, “Yes, your honor, but by forms of law all made by men, interpreted by men, administered by men, in favor of men…” that really resonated with me because I feel that this statement is still being said today as majority of the law making positions in this country are obtained by men who are making laws with the benefit of themselves in mind. The most recent and most recurring example of this would be healthcare laws which directly affect women but are being created and discussed behind closed doors by only male lawmakers.
Reply
Comments above copied from original document
Deleted user
Deleted user Jan 31, 2018
While reading this I couldn’t help to think of Newton’s third law especially when she says, “Yes, your honor, but by forms of law all made by men, interpreted by men, administered by men, in favor of men, and against women.” It reminds us that many laws were made to advantage certain people in society, and disadvantage others. I think this is a theme we will continue to see throughout this course, and it also highlights how courts are not immune to the politics and ideologies of the time. Another part that stuck with me is how Susan B. Anthony refused to see her trail or sentencing as legitimate because no one in the courtroom was her peer.
Reply
Comments above copied from original document
Deleted user
Deleted user Jan 31, 2018
Susan B Anthony provides a pivotal role in shaping the suffragette movement, and based on the dialogue above it’s clear how persistent she was and motivated in trying to get enfranchisement to women. I remember reading an article about how she was quoted in saying “I will cut off this right arm of mine before I will ever work or demand the ballot for the Negro and not the woman” there isn’t a source but it reminds me of the “why i dont teach 356” excerpts. It wouldnt surprise me if there was a population of women who wanted to vote and were still not willing to allow women and people of color to vote. http://www.wesleyan.edu/mlk/posters/suffrage.html
Reply
Comments above copied from original document
Deleted user
Deleted user Jan 29, 2018
Anthony was extremely well-spoken and prepared to defend her rights. The way she cited the Constitution and emphasized how the entire system was made by men, ruled by men and interpreted by men was very powerful. Her passion for the movement was apparent by adamantly defying the punishment given to her.
Reply
Comments above copied from original document
Deleted user
Deleted user Jan 26, 2017
Susan B. Anthony was incredibly brave in the face of a court full of men. Her chosen words and the poise she showed amidst her current situation speaks volumes to how much conviction and belief she had in her ideas and positions on women’s suffrage and women’s rights in general.
Reply
Comments above copied from original document
Deleted user
Deleted user Jan 26, 2017
Susan B Anthony’s bravery, risk, and defense of her right to vote was so inspirational. Although women weren’t able to vote until 1920, SBA was a big part of women’s suffrage and I am glad that American women and men recognize her for that.
“Yes, your honor, but by forms of law all made by men, interpreted by men, administered by men, in favor of men, and against women; and hence, your honor’s ordered verdict of guilty; against a United States citizen for the exercise of “that citizen’s right to vote,” simply because that citizen was a woman and not a man”
Reply
Comments above copied from original document
Deleted user
Deleted user Jan 25, 2017
Susan B Anthony was a powerful individual fighting for women’s rights. When she says’ “Yes, your honor, but by forms of law all made by men, interpreted by men, administered by men, in favor of men, and against women” shows that what she was fighting for is not some radical alien idea. By standing up to the judge Anthony shows her devotion to the cause essentially delegitimising an institution that delegitimizes her struggle just for bring a women.
Reply
Comments above copied from original document
Deleted user
Deleted user Jan 25, 2017
Ms. Anthony made very valid points throughout this excerpt. I especially liked how she differentiated between what she owes from an honest debt and that of an unjust claim.
Reply
Comments above copied from original document
Deleted user
Deleted user Jan 25, 2017
I enjoyed how Susan B. Anthony was sassy with the judge. She cited the Constitution and identified how it was not fair to women. It was brave and shows how much women’s rights meant to her.
Reply
Comments above copied from original document
Deleted user
Deleted user Jan 25, 2017
Susan B. Anthony had full control over what was going on in the Courtroom during this debate given how disorganized and dumb Judge Hunt sounds. Which brings to question on what grounds were claims made that a woman, such as Susan B. Anthony, was not educated enough to vote. What makes this debate even better is that Susan B. Anthony could care less about the Judge showing mercy, but rather wants her freedom through the legal system in order to establish a precedent around the country.
Reply
Comments above copied from original document
Deleted user
Deleted user Jan 25, 2017
“May it please your honor, I shall never pay a dollar of your unjust penalty…not a penny shall go to this unjust claim.”
Susan B. Anthony literally told the judge that she was not going to comply with the legal system and it really shows the bravery and confidence she possessed to fight for women’s rights. She passionately worked for women’s suffrage and actually opposed the 15th amendment for many female activists wanted women to be included for the right to vote along with the African American men.
Reply
Comments above copied from original document
Deleted user
Deleted user Jan 25, 2017
“When I was brought before your honor for trial, I hoped for a broad and liberal interpretation of the Constitution and its recent amendments, that should declare all United States citizens under its protecting gis-that should declare equality of rights the national guarantee to all persons born or naturalized in the United States. But failing to get this justice-failing, even, to get a trial by a jury not of my peers- I ask not leniency at your hands-but rather the full rigors of the law…”
The last phrase “I ask not leniency at your hands, but rather the full rigors of the law” really struck a chord with me. Indeed she was a pioneer of her time for women’s rights, but what she was pioneering for was not a revolutionary concept, it was for more diligent and truthful interpretation of the liberties granted by the Constitution that the branches of government at the time chose to actively neglect.
Reply
Comments above copied from original document
Deleted user
Deleted user Jan 25, 2017
Despite the 14th Amendment granting “all persons born or naturalized” natural rights, Anthony and 13 other women were deprived of their privilege of citizenship on the basis of sex. However, at this point, the 15th Amendment had already been passed, which stated that the right to vote shall not be denied on the “basis of race, color or previous servitude.” The 14th and 15th amendment give civilians rights and assert that they shall not be denied under these conditions, yet women remain oppressed and are denied the right, not because of citizenship, color, race or previous servitude, but because of their sex.
Reply
Comments above copied from original document
Deleted user
Deleted user Jan 28, 2016
“Judged Hunt- The Court must insist-the prisoner has been tried according to the established forms of law. Miss Anthony- Yes, your honor, but by forms of law all made by men, interpreted by men, administered by men, in favor of men, and against women; and hence, your honor’s ordered verdict of guilty.” I think this line is very powerful and should always be at the forefront of our minds in this class. Examining the laws, amendments, and policies through this angle will help us understand where the oppression of women lies.
Reply
Kevin Lyles
Kevin Lyles
and where does the oppression of women lie?
Jan 28, 2016•Edit•Delete
Comments above copied from original document
Kevin Lyles
Deleted user
Deleted user Jan 27, 2016
The argument that the government has tyrannically usurped the rights that women are born with, a point that Anthony makes in her first comment, was the most powerful argument that the Founding Fathers made contra the Crown. Its application here is completely spot-on. What value is citizenship if those with it are unable to exercise franchise? As Anthony points out, her right to consent as the governed has also been violated, and it’s not even just that–she’s viewed literally as lesser in the eyes of the law.
Here’s a record of her trial:
http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/anthony/trialrecord.html
Reply
Kevin Lyles
Kevin Lyles
Harsha, thanks for the link
Dec 16, 2016•Edit•Delete
Comments above copied from original document
Kevin Lyles
Deleted user
Deleted user Jan 27, 2016
You know what amazes me is that the 14th Amendment granted citizenship to all those born or naturalized in the US, yet that doesn’t mean you can vote. Typically you would tie citizenship with the right to vote. What i find confusing as well is that technically black men were allowed to vote before white women. Yet most people viewed white women as superior to black men at the time. This is quite surprising to me that in such a racist time period black men would be given the “right to vote” before white women.
Reply
Comments above copied from original document
Deleted user
Deleted user Jan 27, 2016
It is admirable the courage and relentless effort Susan B. Anthony showed. She lead a ruthless attack for equality for women, and this line really caught my attention. ” forms of law all made by men, interpreted by men, administered by men, in favor of men, and against women” this is something I had never really thought about that, that the constitution and laws were all made by men in the begging and how unjust that seems.
Reply
Comments above copied from original document
Deleted user
Deleted user Jan 31, 2015
If I was tried before a judge I would be speechless. She knew her stuff
Reply
Comments above copied from original document
Deleted user
Deleted user Jan 28, 2015
Susan B Anthony, reading this shocked me…it’s amazing.
Pedro Ramirez
Reply
Comments above copied from original document
Deleted user
Deleted user Jan 28, 2015
Interesting fact , Anthony was tried by two judges , refused to pay bail the first time and the judge released her anyway, and when another judge set new bail, the first judge paid the bail so that Anthony would not have to be jailed.
Nida Khalid
Reply
Comments above copied from original document
nanaIC
nanaIC Jan 28, 2015
with some further research into the fine she faced, she was fined the $100 dollars, she refused to pay it, but she was never jailed.
Jared Gutkin
Reply
Comments above copied from original document
Deleted user
Deleted user Jan 28, 2015
“As then, the slaves who got their freedom must take it over, or under, or through the unjust forms of law, precisely so, now, must women, to get their right to a voice in this government, take it; and I have taken mine, and mean to take it at every possible opportunity.”
That is a very powerful quote to me. Sometimes there appears to be no legal remedy for gross injustices. That every person should be equal before the law seems like a statement that does not have to be backed by a sophisticated legal argument. The quote above illustrated the pain and suffering that had to be overcome to achieve the most basic of human rights.
-Christen Lee
Reply
Comments above copied from original document
Deleted user
Deleted user Jan 28, 2015
Anthony voices and argument that she was hoping for a trial where equal rights and protection would have been applied in this case. But despite that hope, she did not receive that, along the mentioning of how she also did not get a trial by jury of her peers.
The section where Anthony mentions that the law made it a citizens right to vote did not apply, simply because she was a women in this case, but another law was applied in regards to women as a citizen where giving shelter/water/food to a fugitive was a crime. So when it came to voting, women were not regarded as citizens, but when another law was applied, they were to be regarded as citizens and receive the same form of punishment.
– Aashiqui Lad
Reply
Comments above copied from original document
Deleted user
Deleted user Jan 28, 2015
It is interesting that it took so long after this event in 1872 (almost 50 years) to ratify the 19th Amendment. It seems like societal attitudes toward suffrage had begun to progress at least slightly as evidenced by the permissiveness of the voting inspectors allowing the women to submit their ballots and by the judge who didn’t enforce imprisonment on Anthony. -L. Trujillo
Reply
Comments above copied from original document
Kevin Lyles
Kevin Lyles Feb 17, 2014
Here is a good word problem for your kids: “Susan B. Anthony was fined $100 for voting for president. She only had $25, how much more did she need to pay the fine?
Reply
Comments above copied from original document
Deleted user
Deleted user Feb 4, 2014
Because of the publicity involved in the aftermath of this case Anthony went on a big tour and had wider audiences to spread her views to. It wasn’t a complete loss.
Reply
Comments above copied from original document
Deleted user
Deleted user Jan 30, 2014
she has her own coin. 🙂
Reply
Comments above copied from original document
Deleted user
Deleted user Jan 29, 2014
did she start the club of people who wanted a jury of their peers?
Reply
Comments above copied from original document
Deleted user
Deleted user Jan 29, 2014
I don’t know why, but Susan B. Anthony reminds me of Justice Ginsburg. She’s a firecracker.
Reply
Comments above copied from original document
Kevin Lyles
Kevin Lyles Jan 25, 2014
lots of good stuff here: http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/anthony/trialrecord.html
Reply
Comments above copied from original document