Susan B. Anthony

In honor of Womens History Month, The Cardinal will feature prominent and/or historical women, living or dead, who advocate for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, for a positive future, eliminating bias and discrimination. The Cardinal is proud to celebrate women who work for basic inclusion, equality and fairness.

Jasmin Gallegos, Senior Writer

March 6, 2025

Susan B. Anthony was born on February 15, 1820, and she would go on to become a famous advocate for women’s rights and anti-slavery.

Anthony’s family was very progressive for their time with her brothers actively supporting the anti-slavery movement. She was born in Massachusetts but moved to New York when she was six. She attended a strict religious boarding school but didn’t stay for very long as her family began to struggle financially. In order to help her family she began to teach at a boarding school and eventually became headmistress of the Canajoharie Academy. She was annoyed with the pay gap between her and the men she worked with.

After the academy closed Anthony decided she wanted to work and devote herself to social reform. She met and became close friends with another famous women’s activist, Elizabeth Cady Stanton. When she was stopped from speaking at a convention, she walked out and organized her own which was attended by hundreds of women. Anthony spoke out at teachers’ conventions arguing that women and male educators should be paid the same. She pushed for women’s rights and helped improve rights for married women under the Married Women’s Property Act.

Before and during the Civil War, Anthony pushed for anti-slavery and racial equality. She and Stanton passed around a petition to make slavery illegal and it got thousands of signatures which was a big help in the passing of the 13th Amendment. After this, she fully focused on women’s rights and fighting for the right to vote. She even had a newspaper that would publish weekly to spread the word about social reform. She was arrested in 1972 for casting a ballot although she wasn’t allowed, she was fined but never paid it. During her lifetime she fought for women’s suffrage and assisted in getting it passed in many states.

She died in 1906 at the age of 86 from heart failure but is remembered as a strong leader in the fight for women’s rights. She was instrumental in pushing the suffrage movement and her work led to the establishment of the 19th Amendment.

About the Contributor

Jasmin Gallegos, Senior Writer

Jasmin Gallegos is 17 years old and a senior in the former ALMA academy, VAPA, at Hoover High School. This school year, Jasmin wants to prioritize her grades while also having fun during her final year of high school. Her biggest goal is to graduate with the best GPA she can. She is excited to go to college and move away from San Diego. Although she will miss her family, she wants to be more independent and try new things. Jasmin is planning on becoming an elementary school teacher which has been her goal since she was a little girl. She hopes to make a good impact on the children and be a positive influence. Her favorite subject in school is history, she loves seeing how things used to work back then and how things have changed. Jasmin’s favorite pastime is watching movies. Her favorite movie is Corpse Bride, she loves the animation and storyline. She doesn’t have a favorite movie genre but she typically watches romantic comedies or musicals. She loves going to the movies with her sister and seeing films on the big screen. Two years ago Jasmin adopted an orange kitten she named Loki. He used to be shy but now he’s just clingy. She loves how cuddly he gets when he is cold. She also has a fish named Guppy, who is almost ten years old.