Written just days after her arrest for “illegal voting,” it is one of the great American documents in the struggle for women’s suffrage and the American journey
A wedding gift 50 years ago, it has been in the same collection since that time; unpublished, and unknown to scholarship
The Raab Collection announced that it has discovered, acquired, and is offering for sale the original handwritten plea from women’s rights pioneer Susan B. Anthony to President Ulysses S. Grant, just one week after she was arrested for “illegal voting” in the 1872 election. This is an American treasure, a landmark moment in the struggle for women to get the right to vote, the only known letter from Anthony to Grant, an emotional and philosophical plea on “behalf of all Women Citizens,” linking the very idea of American citizenship to the individual’s right to vote. The letter is valued at $45,000.
“This powerful letter of Anthony is a testament to her resilience and bravery, the struggle of all women, and a great American treasure. It is a true addition to the historical record,” said Nathan Raab, president of The Raab Collection and author of the bestselling book, The Hunt for History. “It is also a reminder of our American journey. She calls on the President to honor the Constitution and what makes America different: that all people are supposed to be equal and that it is a government of the people, not half the people.”
The Arrests
In 1872, President Grant, a Republican, was running for a second term against Democrat Horace Greeley. Susan B. Anthony and her organization, National Woman Suffrage Association, supported Grant, who had worked to expand rights and job opportunities for women. He had even welcomed Anthony to the White House earlier that year.
Asserting that the 14th and 15th Amendments already guaranteed her right to vote as an American citizen, Anthony registered to vote in Rochester, New York. On November 5, Anthony and fourteen other women officially cast their ballots for Grant. On November 18, a US Marshal arrived at Anthony’s home to arrest her for illegally voting. Others who had voted were also arrested, and the male election inspectors who had allowed them to vote were imprisoned. One week later, Anthony wrote this letter to Grant.
The Letter
On November 25, 1872, Anthony wrote to President Grant regarding those who had been recently arrested for “illegal voting – that is, for exercising what they believe to be the Constitutional right of United States citizens.” She asks the President to propose to Congress a law that more clearly defines the rights of all U.S. citizens. Her bold statements are further emphasized by her underlining of certain words and phrases throughout:
“If to be a citizen is not to be a voter – then what better is a citizen of the U.S than a subject of the British Empire – If the boast “I am an American citizen” – means only that I am bound to obey the law of the United States – What mockery!
If I am a citizen – I have full and free right of suffrage – If our government is a true republican form – it is founded on the consent of the whole people – not one half.”
Discovery
The letter has been in a private collection for more than half a century. In the 1970s, a man purchased it as a gift for his bride. She has kept it since that time. Until now, its content has been unknown to scholars. There is no record of the letter having ever been received by President Grant. It’s possible Susan B. Anthony wrote this in the heat of the moment and then had second thoughts and never sent it.
To learn more, listen to the most recent episode of the Inspired by History podcast:
Nathan Raab is available for interviews by phone or email.
