ShmoopTube

Where Monty Python meets your 10th grade teacher.

Search Thousands of Shmoop Videos

Susan B. Anthony 1149 Views


Share It!


Description:

Susan B. Anthony led the Women's Suffrage Movement—but there's more to her than that. Watch the video to get all the deets.

Language:
English Language

Transcript

00:07

Susan B. Anthony, a la Shmoop.

00:10

No doubt about it - America has some crazy laws.

00:13

In Iowa, it is against the law to kiss for longer than five minutes.

00:19

In Vermont, it is illegal to go more than a week without bathing.

00:24

But perhaps the craziest of all was that until 1920, it was illegal for women to vote in the United States.

00:32

We often cite Susan B. Anthony for changing this law,

00:36

but was it really Susan’s Suffrage?

00:39

Anthony’s activism began after the Civil War, when she pointed out the slight hypocrisy

00:45

in allowing freed black men to vote... but not women.

00:49

She founded the American Equal Rights Association,

00:51

and then got arrested for trying to vote in New York in 1872.

00:56

She then refused to pay the ordered fine.

00:58

Until 1900, she was president of the National American Woman Suffrage Association.

01:04

Susan passed away in 1907, never having been granted the right to vote.

01:09

What really got the Women’s Suffrage movement going was the Prohibition and Progressive

01:13

Era, which embraced purity and avoidance of crime.

01:17

Progressive Era politicians realized that women’s votes could benefit their campaigns.

01:22

The participation of women in World War I was the final push…

01:25

…and the Nineteenth Amendment granting women the right to vote was passed in 1920.

01:30

So what are your thoughts?

01:31

Was Susan B. Anthony the pivotal figure in the Women’s Suffrage Movement?

01:37

Or would women have been granted the right to vote anyways?

01:40

Just because it makes good political sense?

01:42

Shmoop amongst yourselves.

Up Next

Why Does the Constitution Still Work for Us?
5721 Views

Ever heard of a "living document"? They eat and breathe just like the rest of us! They even walk around on their own two legs. Okay, fine—maybe t...

Related Videos

The Puritans and the Division of Church and State
1280 Views

If the Puritans had gotten their way, religion would play a much larger role in lawmaking these days. Want to know more? Watch the video for all th...

Shays' Rebellion
6346 Views

What happened between the creation of the Articles of Confederation and the ratification of the current U.S. Constitution? This video analyzes the...

There's More Than One Way to Crack a Modernist Egg
539 Views

The Modernists thought the world had a lot of problems, and they were intent on fixing them—or at least talking about fixing them. Unfortunately,...

Federalism
2532 Views

This video explains Federalism and the quest for a fair balance between state and national power. It covers the progression and compromises of Fede...