Anthony Day

Anthony (Susan B.) Day

February 15; August 26

Susan Brownell Anthony (1820-1906) devoted her life to the temperance, anti-slavery, and women's suffrage movements. After the Civil War ended in 1865, she focused all of her energies on getting women the right to vote. That goal was achieved in 1920 with the passage of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, sometimes called "the Anthony Amendment." She was elected to the Hall of Fame for Great Americans in 1950, and was honored in 1979 when she became the first American woman to have her likeness on a coin: the Susan B. Anthony dollar.
Tributes to Anthony take place on her birthday, February 15, in various parts of the country. Sometimes a memorial service is held in the crypt of the Capitol in Washington, D.C., where there is a statue of the pioneers in the women's suffrage movement: Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Lucretia Mott. Ceremonies honoring Anthony are often held at her grave in Rochester, New York, near the home where for more than 40 years she lived and frequently met with other influential reformers. Women's organizations, such as the National Organization for Women (NOW), usually play a major role in sponsoring memorial observances.
Some states observe Susan B. Anthony Day on August 26, the day on which the 19th Amendment was ratified.

CONTACTS:
Susan B. Anthony House
17 Madison St.
Rochester, NY 14608
585-235-6124; fax: 585-235-6124
www.susanbanthonyhouse.org

SOURCES:
AmerBkDays-2000, pp. 456, 609
DictDays-1988, p. 115
OxYear-1999, p. 79

Celebration days: Feb 15, Aug 26