Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony: A Friendship that Changed the World

Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony: A Friendship that Changed the World
By Penny Coleman
Henry Holt and Company, 2011. 256 pgs. Young Adult Nonfiction

From the time that Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony, two of the pioneering forces in the fight for women's rights, met, they were fierce friends, despite their difference. Stanton, a married woman who went on to have seven children, was more radical in some of her beliefs (such as challenging the clergy and even publishing a women's Bible), while Anthony was a single schoolteacher whose first interest was the temperance movement but who soon pushed women's rights beyond . Anthony thrived on organizing conventions; Stanton would rather not attend but enjoyed writing fiery speeches which she often had Anthony present at the conferences for her. Despite their disagreements, they did agree that women needed to be equal citizens and worked tirelessly to achieve that, and many advance were made during their lifetimes, although women's suffrage, one of their biggest goals, was only achieved in a few states before their deaths.

Before reading this book, I was of course aware of Stanton and Anthony, but I didn't realize how much controversy there was within the women's right movement or how long and how hard they worked for their cause. This was highly informative not just about these two women but about the women's right movement and the political climate in 19th century America. Well worth reading.

AE