My Activist: Susan B. Anthony

My Activist: Susan B. Anthony - Alexandra Toledano (Nativity Prep Academy, Seventh Grade)

"Women must not depend upon the protection of a man but must be taught to protect themselves," said the famous abolitionist Susan B. Anthony. She fought for slave rights and for women to get more rights. The main point is going to be about Susan B. Anthony. The issue the activist was fighting for was women's rights and how I can help spread the word by advocating and writing this essay.

As I stated before, my activist is Susan B. Anthony. Something that inspired Susan was God. According to an article titled “National Women's History Museum," it states, ”Anthony was inspired by the Quaker belief that everyone was equal under God. That idea guided her throughout her life. She believed everyone was equal, and everyone is equal. The problem my activist was trying to solve was women's rights. The people that were affected by this problem are women, because back then they were victims of sexism; they were objectified, and they were mistreated because men believed that women were weak, naive, fragile, manipulators, and sensitive. A way I can help this issue is by spreading awareness through this essay.

Some of the biggest events my activist is known for are anti-slavery acts and campaigning for women. Anti-slavery acts are movements or acts that help put a stop to slavery. According to an article titled "Susan B. Anthony, Icon of the Women's Suffrage Movement," it states, “Anthony helped fugitive slaves escape and held an anti-slavery rally. She and Stanton gathered signatures to pass the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution formally abolishing slavery." I won't requote it, but two articles titled “History Channel” and “Library and Congress” both state somewhat similar things to the article I just quoted, which proves this event has occurred. Susan B. Anthony made a huge impact in society when she "paved the way for the nineteenth amendment." As mentioned before in this essay, the nineteenth amendment, which was the constitution, gave women the right to vote. Susan helped slaves, females, and people in need. If Susan didn't help give women more rights, I can guarantee you that there wouldn't be much impact on society as a woman. Every day, I am grateful that she stood up for us.

Another major event my activist was involved in was in 1879, when she led a protest at the centennial of our nation’s independence. According to an article titled “National Park Service," it states what the centennial of our nation’s independence was. “During Grant's presidency, the nation marked another important July 4th with the centennial anniversary of the nation gaining its independence." So what this was was 100 years after the USA claimed their independence. The event I just recently mentioned above had a huge impact on society because she gave one of her now famous “Declaring the Rights of Women” speeches during a really huge event, which is a good “marketing” strategy to get more ears listening. The reason I quoted marketing was because she wasn’t marketing her voice; she just wanted to spread awareness for other women. One really interesting detail about Susan B. Anthony was that she was the only feminist out of a few other activists because most women were scared to defend themselves and men were sexist against women. That speech is also where her famous quote “Men, their rights, and nothing more. Women, their rights, and nothing less.” came from. Susan was a very brave woman, and I'm glad I can relive her legacy with this essay.

A change that I would like to see in my community is more men who respect women. I want to make this change because I think it would make women feel more comfortable near men, and they would feel more free and respected. Another change I would like to make is for child marriage: a 25-year-old getting married to a teen girl. I know this wasn’t a problem back in the day. In fact, it was very normalized. I know that Susan would be proud if she saw these changes under the impression and circumstances right now. I want to make a difference in society by encouraging others to be more mature and respectful, and I hope they become an influence on others. I also hope gender equality becomes a thing of the past in the next 10 years. Susan also mentioned abortion. It's another very serious and mature issue that I am educated on to a level that I can understand. I may have stated this before, but Susan B. Anthony was anti-abortion. This means that she is against abortion and doesn't support it. Although I am all for Susan's opinion, abortion is something I may or may not agree with her on. I'm still young, so as I grow, my opinion might change, and I still have much to learn. That is why I'm not 100 percent sure of my opinion. There's also an organization called “Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America'' that both men and women fight for. A challenge I think I will face is trying to figure out how to stop this problem. Even though there have been hundreds of activists, the problem still isn't 100 percent gone. It's still a misfortunate event today.

Susan B. Anthony had one goal. For women to get their rights and for slaves to be free. The slave thing ended long ago, and the thing we are still fighting for is for females. They got their rights, for the most part. If nothing is done about it in 10 years, the problem will either not change or get worse. Think of it as a test. If you don’t do anything about studying for a test, you will either pass with the average only with the knowledge that you already have or fail the test because you forgot some of the materials you learned. You wouldn’t be smarter by not studying if it didn't have logic to it. What I'm going to try to do to help this problem is just influence others and spread awareness by getting others to be sympathetic when I mention this issue, and I hope they feel the same as me.