“A Purse of Her Own”: Susan B. Anthony’S Fight for the Economic Independence of Women

Susan B. Anthony was a pioneer of first wave feminism and is widely recognized as a symbol of the Woman Suffrage Movement. Her vision of gender equality was influenced by her liberal upbringing, her Quaker education, and the changing social and economic landscape of the Northeastern United States during the nineteenth century. This historical study investigated Anthony’s activism, and her image of women’s equality that originated during her teaching career. Her desire for pecuniary independence and gender equality led her to challenge traditional patterns of androcentric power structures which have historically situated women into the role of maintaining traditional family values. Furthermore, this study investigated Anthony’s accomplishments as both an educator and a reformer. Her efforts led to increased educational and occupational opportunities for women, the change in the public’s attitude about working women, and in the democratization of economic opportunities for women in American society. Primary source and archived documents such as personal correspondence, diary entries, newspaper articles, and other printed material were used to conduct this study. An analysis of those documents, and others, revealed Anthony’s influence on the acceptance of women into non-domestic societal roles, which was propelled by her advocacy for the economic independence of women. By examining her activism and her image of women’s equality through the lens of her education and teaching career, this investigation highlighted the ways in which Anthony challenged conventional notions about the subservience of female teachers and other wage-earning, professionally driven women