Law and Famous Trials | Why Was Susan B. Anthony Put On Trial?
Why was Susan B. Anthony put on trial?
Susan B. Anthony (1820–1896) was put on trial for voting in an election. She was a leader in the suffrage movement, an organized campaign by women to win the right to vote in the United States. In 1872 Anthony and fourteen other women went to the voter registration office in Rochester, New York, and insisted on being registered as voters. When officials refused their request, Anthony produced an opinion written by Judge Henry R. Selden, who argued that the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution protects women's rights, such as the right to vote. The voting registrars finally allowed the women to register to vote and on November 5, election day, they cast their ballots. A few weeks later the women were arrested for having voted, though eventually they were released from jail on bail. Their trial was held in June 1873; Anthony was found guilty of voting and fined $100. She...
[The entire page is 318 words long]
Navigate
