Susan B. Anthony - The Woman for All Women
© Debbie Legare
Anthony was born on February 15, 1820 in Adam, Massachusetts. She was the second (daughter) of the eight children of Lucy Read and Daniel Anthony. Her father, a mill owner and reformer, was a true believer in Quaker spiritualism and brought his family up in this fashion. Her family were members of the Society of Friends which was the preferred name for the Quakers back then. Her mother wasn't born of this faith originally but did follow and held many of the same beliefs. Being of strong moral Quaker background, her parents were strong supporters of abolitionists (antislavery) and temperance (avoidance of alcohol). With this belief system, she was taught that each person had an 'Inner Light', a spiritual nerve center that made you individual. Quakers strongly believed that God created all people to be equal without distinction between male, female or race. Quakers were one of the first groups to practice full equality. Other women did not receive the same equality Susan did while growing nor the education. When Susan complained that she couldn't study long division with the boys in school, her father eventually started a homeschool program for her. This at the time was looked upon to be very unusual in the community but not in the families that shared her belief systems. She was taught as a Quaker that women had equal opportunities in life and at times in all stages, including her church. Her paternal grandmother and aunts held high positions in her church. As a child, she saw this treatment of women to be truly equal and assumed it existed everywhere. It was very significant in shaping her attitudes and beliefs. These attitudes would carry her throughout her life. As a Quaker child, she was also service oriented to whomever would be in need, whether spiritually or physically. Susan, through her parents and beliefs, was brought up with the strong self-discipline, self-reliance and a strong sense of self worth.
Her teenage years were spent working in her father's mill as well as going to school. This instilled a strong work ethic. At 17, when she finished school, she began teaching in New York. Teaching was one of the only jobs open to women since it was comparable to motherhood. Anthony's wages weekly was 1/5 of her male colleagues. However, it was acceptable to women because it did allow for some economic independence as well as some of their own identity even though a man's wage differed greatly. When she protested this inequality, she lost her job. She eventually went on to a secure job as a principal of a Girls Academy of Conajoharie Academy in Rochester New York.
