THE TRIAL OF SUSAN B. ANTHONY
On November 5, 1872, in Rochester, New York, Susan B. Anthony and fourteen other women voted in an election. They did so to challenge laws that permitted only men to vote. They believed that women, as U.S. citizens, had a right to vote under the Fourteenth Amendment. Twelve days later, Anthony was arrested — for illegal voting. Charges were filed in federal court, and trial commenced on June 17, 1873, in Canandaigua, New York. Anthony was convicted, as the presiding judge directed the jury of twelve men to find her guilty.
This program examines the women’s suffrage movement, focusing on the legal proceedings in United States v. Susan B. Anthony.