How Did Anthony Speech Contribute To Women's Suffrage

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Anthony’s speech is historically significant and reached many people in America who eventually saw that women’s suffrage should be achieved. Throughout this essay, I will discuss how she was able to persuade her audiences, what types of arguments she used, and how powerful the speech proved to be in assisting in women’s suffrage. As I begin to explain these topics, I will examine how this led to an increased amount of attention on women’s rights and eventually led to the Nineteenth Amendment being created in 1920. Susan once said it was we, the people; not we, the white male citizens; nor yet we, the male citizens; but we, the whole people, who formed the union. (Barnett 42). Although we as women have equal right to vote now and it don't feel …show more content…

She said that all people were citizens and therefore all women were citizens. She used logic in her speech to prove that she did nothing wrong by casting a vote in the presidential election of 1872 as she was a citizen. Her reasoning was not listened to by the judge that presided over her case, but through her defeat she was able to reach even more people and raise more awareness about the injustices faced by women. “The hard-won vote has lifted them out of a deep feeling of uncertainty and lack of competence in a man’s world to a point on level ground where they begin to take a hand in that world, with no apologies to be made and no quarter asked, where they are truly people” (Adams 238). The changes that Anthony was able to help make have created significant impacts on women in America. Anthony was also able to change the way rhetoric has been historically used. Men had created and used rhetoric for years to persuade others, but Anthony as a female used it to her benefit. She attempted to persuade others that her actions were constitutional and was eventually successful in her efforts. She showed others that all human beings are equal and the idea of a patriarchy should be disbanded. Anthony reconstructed gender through her efforts to make women equal to men and helped begin efforts to disband patriarchy and male control over women. She started this with her speech on women’s right to