Close your eyes and imagine you're standing on a busy street over 100 years ago.
Women in long dresses and big hats are marching together, holding signs that say, votes for women!
Their voices are strong as they chant.
We want to vote. We want to be heard. The crowd is big and the air is filled with excitement.
Some people cheer but others frown, shaking their heads.
At the front of the crowd, a woman stands on a wooden stage.
She has gray hair pulled back into a tight bun, and she looks serious but kind.
She raises her hand and the crowd grows quiet.
We will not stop fighting until women have the right to vote, she calls out.
Her voice is strong and clear.
That woman is Susan B.
Anthony. A long time ago in a small town in Massachusetts, a baby girl was born.
Her name was Susan B.
Anthony. She was born on February 15th, 1820.
Susan was different from many other girls at the time.
She was very smart and she loved to learn.
But in those days, girls were not always allowed to go to school like boys were.
Susan's parents believed in education, so they made sure she got to learn just like her brothers.
When Susan was little, she learned to read and write quickly.
She loved books. She often spent hours reading by the fire or writing stories in her notebook.
But one day at school, her teacher refused to teach her math.
He said that girls did not need to learn math.
Susan did not agree.
She knew that girls were just as smart as boys, and she wanted to prove it, so she went home and asked her father to teach her.
Her father believed in her and helped her with math lessons every night.
Susan worked hard, and soon she was better at math than many of the boys in her class.
But this was not the only time she faced unfairness.
One day a teacher refused to let Susan and her sisters learn long division.
Instead of giving up, Susan kept studying on her own.
This was the first time Susan realized that the world was not always fair.
She decided that she would not accept unfair rules, even as a young girl.
As Susan grew up, she saw many unfair things.
Women could not vote.
women could not own land if they were married.
Women did not get paid as much as men for the same work.
This made Susan angry.
She believed that everyone should be treated equally.
She decided to speak up and fight for fairness.
When Susan was older, she became a teacher.
She worked hard but she was paid much less than the men who did the same job.
This did not seem right.
Susan asked her boss why women were paid less, he said, because you are a woman.
This answer made Susan even more determined to fight for women's rights.
One day Susan B. Anthony stood in front of a crowd and gave a speech about fairness.
Men their rights and nothing more, women their rights and nothing less, she said.
Some people clapped and cheered, others shook their heads and booed.
Many people back then thought women should stay quiet and not speak in public, but Susan did not stop.
She traveled all over the country, giving speeches about why women should have the same rights as men.
Some people made fun of her, others threw things at her, but she kept going.
Women must not depend upon men to protect them, she said.
They must learn to take care of themselves.
While fighting for women's rights, Susan met Elizabeth Cady Stanton.
Elizabeth also believed women should have the right to vote.
The two became great friends.
They worked together for many years writing speeches and planning ways to change the law.
Elizabeth was a strong writer, and Susan was a powerful speaker.
They started a group called the National Woman Suffrage Association.
They also ran a newspaper called The Revolution to spread their ideas.
Elizabeth once said, Susan is the most hard -working and honest person I know.
Sometimes they disagreed, but they always supported each other.
Their friendship lasted for over 50 years.
Susan fought for more than just women's rights.
She also spoke out against slavery and worked with Frederick Douglass.
She believed all people should be treated equally.
When black men got the right to vote but women did not, Susan kept fighting.
There will never be true fairness until women can help make the laws, she said.
In 1872, something very bold happened.
Susan and some other women went to vote in an election, but voting was against the law for women.
Susan knew this, but she believed the law was wrong.
When she voted, people were shocked.
Soon the police came and arrested her.
They took her to court.
The judge told her she had broken the law.
Susan had to pay a fine of $100, but she refused.
She said, I will never pay a dollar of your unjust fine." And she never did.
For many years Susan kept fighting for women's right to vote.
She knocked on doors, she wrote letters to important leaders, she gave more speeches, some people laughed at her, some people were mean to her, but she never gave up.
Susan fought for more than just women's rights.
She also spoke out against slavery and worked closely with Frederick Douglass and other abolitionists.
She believed that all people, no matter their gender or race, should be treated equally.
When the Fifteenth Amendment gave black men the right to vote, but women were still left out, she refused to give up.
There will never be true fairness until women can help make the laws, she said.
In 1872, she was even arrested for voting in an election, refusing to pay the fine because she believed she had done nothing wrong.
She spent her life traveling, speaking, and fighting for a future where women had the same rights as men.
Though she did not live to see women win the right to vote, her efforts paved the way for the 19th amendment, which was passed in 1920, 14 years after her death.
Because of her work, generations of women finally had a voice in their government.
Today, women in the United States have rights that Susan could only dream about.
Women can vote, run for office, own property and work in nearly any profession.
There are female leaders, judges, scientists and business owners shaping the world.
In many ways, Susan's vision has become a reality.
However, there is still work to do.
Women continue to fight for equal pay, fair treatment in the workplace and other rights.
around the world some women still do not have basic rights like education or the ability to vote.
Susan B. Anthony's legacy reminds us that change takes time and that every generation must continue the fight for fairness.
Her courage and determination inspire people today to keep working toward a more equal world for all
