Susan B. Anthony Casts Her Brave Vote

The morning was crisp and cold. Susan B. Anthony buttoned her coat up tight. Today was Election Day, November 1872. Susan had made up her mind. She was going to vote. Her sisters walked beside her. Their shoes clicked on the cobblestones. The polling place was just ahead. Susan could see men going in and out. Only men. Always only men. She pushed open the heavy door. The room went quiet. Every head turned. A man behind the table frowned. "Women cannot vote," he said. Susan stood tall. She looked him in the eye. "I am a citizen of this country," she said. "Citizens have the right to vote." Her voice was calm and clear. It did not shake. Not even a little. The man behind the table looked down. Then he looked up. He handed her the ballot. Susan's hand did not tremble. She filled it out carefully. She folded it. She dropped it in the box. It made a small, soft sound. That little sound echoed across America. A few weeks later, men came to Susan's door. They said she had broken the law. They put her on trial. The judge said she must pay a fine. Susan looked at the judge and smiled gently. "I will never pay one penny," she said. She never did. Susan traveled the country for many more years. She gave speeches. She wrote letters. She never stopped asking for what was right. She told everyone who would listen: all people deserve a voice. Susan did not live to see women win the vote in 1920. But her brave act lit the way. Because of Susan, millions of women one day walked to the polls and voted. And every one of those votes whispered her name.