Susan B. Anthony: The Making of America #4

The Making of America

by Teri Kanefield

In the fourth installment in the Making of America series, a Susan B. Anthony biography for young readers, award-winning author Teri Kanefield examines the life of America’s famous suffragette.

Susan B. Anthony was born into a world in which men ruled A man could beat his wife, take her earnings, have her committed into an asylum based on his word, and take her children away from her. While the young nation was ablaze with the radical notion that people could govern themselves, “people” were understood to be white and male. Women were expected to stay out of public life and debates.

As Anthony saw the situation, “Women’s subsistence is in the hands of men, and most arbitrarily and unjustly does he exercise his consequent power.” She began her public career as a radical abolitionist, and after the Civil War, she became an international figurehead of the women’s suffrage movement. The book includes archival images as well as selections of Anthony’s writing, endnotes, a bibliography, and an index.

The Making of America
Alexander Hamilton (#1)
Andrew Jackson (#2)
Abraham Lincoln (#3)
Susan B. Anthony (#4)
Franklin D. Roosevelt (#5)
Thurgood Marshall (#6)

Genres: Biography, Middle Grade, Nonfiction, History, Audiobook, Biography Memoir, Childrens

240 pages, Hardcover

First published March 26, 2019

About the author

I started out teaching English at the college and university level while writing novels, short stories, and children’s books. Then I went to law school, dedicated my law practice to defending people who could not afford to pay, kept writing books, took a detour into writing legal analysis for The Washington Post and other mainstream media outlets, wrote more books, and here I am.

Along the way, my writing has earned numerous awards and honors, including the Jane Addams Book Award, the Orbis Pictus Honor, and the Carter G. Woodson Middle-Grade Level Book Award.

For more about me and my writing, please visit www.terikanefield.com

Reviews

[Ross Blocher · Rating 5 out of 5]

My book club picked The Making of America: Susan B. Anthony without realizing it was a young adult book, but I couldn't be happier that we read it. Everything I knew about Susan B. Anthony was based on very little information, and this was a great opportunity to hear her life's story and more fully appreciate why her name is so synonymous with the women's rights movement. Teri Kanefield's writing is clear, direct, and keeps the focus moving from one significant relationship, development or event to the next. That clarity lends itself to memorization, and is further enhanced by the high quality design of the book. Most new characters (including various minor players) are represented with a photo or image, and the book highlights contemporary cartoons, engravings, and copies of documents. I typically spend a lot more time accessing external sources when reading a book like this, and I feel the YA format did a better job of addressing my ancillary questions as a visual learner and context seeker.

Rather than provide a recounting of all the content, I'll share some of the salient pieces. Susan B. Anthony was raised a Quaker, though her mother held a grudge against the Quakers for their initial disapproval of her and never joined, even though she attended meetings. This already says quite a bit about Anthony - she was raised in a community predisposed to value women's education and promote abolition, and also had the example of a woman willing to hold her own. (Susan is primarily referred to as "Anthony" in the book, which regularly took me a beat to convert from the male forename into the famous suffragist. ) Anthony was an exemplary student and later an exemplary teacher. She turned down multiple marriage proposals, not wanting a relationship in which she was committed to free labor, or in which her husband was not her intellectual equal. She never married. In her 30s, she entered into a 50+ year friendship and partnership with Elizabeth Cady Stanton. Anthony was effective as a dauntless speaker, and traveled the nation speaking for women's rights, the emancipation of slaves, and even temperance (I didn't know that was one of her causes célèbres). Stanton was the better organization leader. They both wrote fervently for their own publications and others'. Anthony's quick wit must have been a joy to behold. One reverend asserted, "You are not married, you have no business to be discussing marriage." She shot back, "Well, Mr. Mayo, you are not a slave, suppose you quit lecturing on slavery." There were many such retorts in the book, eliciting the occasional, "Oh, damn." Susan B. Anthony would have killed on Twitter.

Compromise was not in Anthony's nature. She harangued Abraham Lincoln for not being quicker to include African Americans in his fighting force, and for not characterizing the Civil War itself as a struggle against slavery. He and others played the strategic political game, and Susan B. Anthony wanted none of that. She fought against the passage of the 15th amendment because she wanted it to include equal rights and enfranchisement for women of both races (these debates were truly black and white, with no mention of other ethnicity), and not just African American men. In the process, she often found herself at odds with friends like Frederick Douglass, who wanted to secure one step before thinking about the next. When it came to a head, Anthony prioritized women's advancement over other issues, and splintered from many in even the women's rights movement. At one point she and Stanton accepted the financial support of the very racist George Francis Train, and she herself often used offensive stereotypes in talking about black men: both of which have given historians much to debate about her intent and methods.

Anthony predicted correctly that women's suffrage, if not included in the 15th amendment of 1870, would take generations to pass. Even still, she staged a public vote in which she and dozens of other women registered and voted, citing the constitution as being for the people, and pointing out that women are people. She was the only one jailed and fined for the act. She campaigned with Stanton and others in Kansas, but the vote there failed to enfranchise women or African Americans. She spoke passionately to Theodore Roosevelt, and I was surprised to see how easily he brushed off her arguments, despite his admiration of her as a person. With time, she became less a pariah and more a respected elder stateswoman. On Women's Day in 1905 in Oregon, she told a crowd, "This is rather different from the receptions I used to get fifty years ago. They threw things at me then - but they were not roses." By the time of her death in 1906, four states had passed voting rights for women (an interesting aside: many of the new frontier states were more receptive to the idea because they wanted to incentivize women to move out west). Anthony longed to live on to see her dream realized, and would have been overjoyed at the ratification of the 19th amendment in 1920, finally securing the national right of women to vote. A touching image shows her grave in 2016, festooned with "I Voted" stickers for the woman presidential candidate who won the popular vote.

Anthony's decades long, uncompromising fight is well summed up in this quote: "It is only through a wholesome discontent with things as they are, that we ever try to make them any better." I highly recommend this quick read that brings an important American figure to life. I'll leave you with one last thought. Though a woman of faith herself, Anthony had an amazing ability to pierce through the hypocrisy of others. This is not from the book, but it's my favorite quote of hers: "I distrust people who know so well what God wants them to do, because I notice it always coincides with their own desires."

[Charlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

6 stars. Very brief, incredibly inspiring, well written, and jam packed with interesting details that seems to capture the essence of Susan B Anthony.

Appropriate for any adult who needs a refresher on one of the most progressive, passionate, and effective women to ever live. It’s also appropriate for middle schoolers, though they might need an adult to help facilitate discussion for full comprehension.

I once had a course about women who changed the face of America. I guess I imagined that I had built Anthony up in my head because no one could truly be that progressive. I imagined she must have been fore thinking for her time but not progressive for the present day. I was so very mistaken. The actual quotes chosen for this short book were excellent examples of just how clear minded Anthony was, especially considering the time in which she lived. How I wish time travel into the past were possible or that it were possible to have stored Anthony near a black hole so she would have aged slowly enough to rocket back to Earth now and sit in my living room with me while we chatted. I am so thankful her words were documented and can live on in so many women and men alive today.

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been down a really strange/interesting journey while going through this list.

I read a book about the Clinton 12 and school separation of those of different races!

I have a read a book that says it is anti racist, but clearly has venom for white "cisgender" (I had to look it up... it is someone who was born male/female and identifies themselves by their birth gender...really? That needed clarification?)

I have now read this book that covers: anti racist, and the sometime unrighteousness and dominance of White "Cisgender" Males.

With all these books it feels like they are saying white men are the root of all evil. Though in some cases, yeah white males have done a lot of people as a collective group, but it is wrong to lump all white males into a category!

Any ways, I really enjoyed this book. I knew the about Susan B Anthony and the big picture, but not the details of her life. She was a women before her time. Amazing! Elizabeth Stanton also amazing . She was married with kids. They didn't have to stand up for women's rights. They could have stayed in their nice safe homes and lived nice quiet lives. But they weren't those type of women.

I love that back in the 1850s she was saying
Women deserve rights, they deserve to make their own money; they deserve to be who they are.

I knew women couldn't vote but I Didn't know they couldn't own property, or sign contracts unless their husbands or father's said they could.
She as also anti slave. Equality for all.

I am a single women trying to make my way in the world. I don't have a husband or boyfriend I have to make my own money to support myself and my sister. At this point in my life, sure, I would like a husband, a friend, a companion, but seriously, like Susan she didn't need one. IF he shows up in my life he will have to be pretty amazing. Like me ones she dated were losers. Why saddle yourself to a loser. I don't blame her for not accepting proposals of any joe off of the street. She deserved better!

I have to thank Susan B Anthony for a lot, and I hate the term feminist because it makes it sound like there is no need for men, but there are, and men are important. Stupid, unrighteous (white or frankly any race) males the outspoken minority are the problem. And you know what those types of men problem are. FEAR! IF they can oppress and dominate, then their insecure little existence seems more important.

Why let women vote?, it would make it so women had an equal say. Shock horror ! not that! (Sarcasm noted) They might make some white men feel weak, small and insignificant .which they were but they pretended like they weren't!

Why let people (men and women) of color be free and vote.. They might make some white men feel weak, small and insignificant which they were but they pretended like they weren't!

Very important book, I learned a lot.
I now want to get off the racism, women's rights kick, but I have one more in this genre. Should be fun!

[JoLee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Featured in "History Books for Young Readers" on Intellectual Recreation.

At this point it's abundantly clear how much I love Teri Kanefield's Making of America series.

The fourth installment features Susan B. Anthony, and it is every bit as great as the first three. With each book in the series, Kanefield selects a prominent figure from American history who has helped to shape the laws of the United States. With Anthony we learn about a figure who is well known for her fight for women's rights.

Kanefield does a great job dealing with some of the trickier aspects of Anthony's life. In recent years, especially, the early suffragists have fallen from grace a little due to their lack of support for African American rights. What struck me as I was reading this, is how intersectional these early suffragists were. Most were abolitionists and suffragists until the causes of women's rights were abandoned by the leaders of the abolitionist movement after the Civil War. At that point, due to lack of funds and support, Anthony and Cady do make some questionable decisions. Kanefield convincingly explains how this came about.

In the end, Anthony would not live to see the ratification of the 19th amendment, but it certainly deserves the nickname "The Susan B. Anthony Amendment."

Review copy from NetGalley.

[Alicia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fitting in with the rest of the series (I'm now up to date and actually have read the yet-to-be published 5th book), this is a perfect homage to another person who made America. In Anthony's case, she worked tirelessly into her eighties to bring about women's suffrage. Often taking on the rights of blacks to vote but for the last third of the book, plenty was shared about differing opinions that a core group had regarding whether black men should first fight for their right to vote then women.

There was a fascinating arc to her life that Kanfield expertly portrays as she has done with all of the others. She focuses on a narrative that is unbiased and measured. With plenty of photographs and quotes and letters, readers understand Anthony's motivations and sole purpose-- believing in the Quaker identity that hierarchy doesn't exist whether you're the Queen of England or a white man.

Family was important, but so was her fight.

Living in upstate New York also provides a fascinating element to all of the travels and trips Anthony made and where the family lived. Likewise learning about all of the work she did agitating the teacher's conventions, running a newspaper, or rallying for hundreds of thousands of signatures is pretty badass.

"'I'd rather see a woman make biscuits like these than solve the knottiest problem in algebra.' ... 'There is no reason,' Anthony shot back, 'why she should not be able to do both.'"

"'Organize, agitate, educate must be our war cry.'"

"Men their rights, nothing more; women their rights, nothing less."

"'I'm sure no man could have made me any happier than I have been.'"

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

The audio of this was very well done, and only four hours long. A very digestible and engaging read about a woman who fought relentlessly for all women.

One thing that struck me while listening is how we tend to want our heroes to be perfect. Anthony was not perfect. There was a lot of tension between the folks fighting for racial equality and the folks fighting for gender equality. Even within each movement there were tensions about priorities and methods. Anthony, despite her involvement with abolition, focused solidly of getting women the right to vote after the Civil War ended. She made use of whatever resources she could get her hands on, even money and publicity from a virulent racist.

Anthony worked and fought for equality until she was quite elderly, but even she had to eventually step down, and this was her attitude: “I am not retiring now because I feel unable, mentally or physically, to do the necessary work, but because I wish to see the organization in the hands of those who are to have its management in the future. I want to see you all at work, while I am alive, so I can scold if you do not do it well.” Susan B. Anthony

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

So rich and powerful. Anthony was and is an inspiration 🤩

[James Biser · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very good book about a person who fought to help our country allow political rights such as voting and representation to individuals such as African Americans and women.

[joyce w. laudon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Susan B Anthony is someone who often comes to mind when considering iconic American women. Her influence has become widespread over time.

Susan Anthony is the only woman featured in a series of four books on prominent Americans written by this author. This places her in company with Alexander Hamilton, Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Jackson. In my opinion, she can hold her own.

The reader learns about the early influences on Susan Anthony who was an observer of all around her. As she grew up, Susan saw that the rights of women were not valued or protected. Over the course of her life, she fought for change for women as detailed in this biography.

This is an excellent entry in a series that should appeal to middle grade students. Adults who read this book will also feel better informed. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this fine read.

[Jeanette · Rating 3 out of 5]

The history was interesting, could have done without the political commentary at the end.

[Sally Sugarman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Susan B. Anthony – Teri Kanefield
This book is aimed at young people from ten to fourteen. It is part of a series The Making of America, The other books listed in this series are three male political figures. Checking it out this seems to be the fourth in a projected series of six, all written by the same author. Anthony is the only woman. She is a good choice since her struggle to have women treated equally is still ongoing. The story of her life is well written and will engage the young reader and older readers as well. There are period photographs of the people discussed, some illustrations from magazines of the period. Certain sections are highlighted to offer supplementary information. The conflict between the emancipation of the slaves and women’s suffrage is well documented with direct quotes that brings the issue to life. As a Quaker, Anthony believed in the equality of all people and as she worked for the blacks, she pointed out to many of the men that there were also female slaves. She refused many proposals of marriage, but was always available to her sisters when they were in need of care during childbirth. This balance of the political and the familial makes Anthony even more admirable. There are not many direct quotes from her but those which are presented are impressive. She lived a long and productive life, being well organized and thoughtful. She died at eighty-six, not having seen her goal of women’s suffrage achieved, but having cultivated a younger generation of women to continue the struggle. Besides being smoothly written, the book provides notes, a bibliography, a time line and selected writings from Susan B. Anthony. There is a need for more books like this to make history come alive for young readers and to show the challenges facing those who try to effect change. The bigotry reported towards both women and slaves underscores the ongoing struggle that Anthony and those workingwith her faced and which continues.

[Margie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very thorough and well-researched biography of Susan B. Anthony covering her life from her childhood through her death. Susan B. Anthony was a Quaker and as a result she believed in justice and equal rights for all; thus she was an abolitionist as well as a suffragist. She never married and initially she supported herself as a teacher. Eventually she became so involved in causes she relied on fees charged for her addresses, donations and sometimes infusions of fund from those who also believed in the causes she supported and fought for. The book includes many black and white photos of people as well as of objects of interest to support the writing. There is also an index. source notes, timeline, bibliography and samples of some of Susan B. Anthony's writings. Excellent reading for children in the upper elementary as well as middle school grades.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Radical egalitarian, that was Susan B Anthony.

Though this biography of Anthony is marketed to middle schoolers, it does not lack for important scope or detail.

I've grown to greatly enjoy the writing of Teri Kanefield and follow her blog at https://terikanefield-blog.com/

The first of Teri's books I read was her bio of Ruth Bader Ginsberg, Free to Be. I've been hooked ever since.

Like this 19th Century revolutionary, I also hold egalitarian values. Some might also call me radical. Yet, I'm not nearly as radical in action as SBA. I hope to have a couple more decades in me that I can make a difference in parallel directions to those of Anthony. In that regard, this book was tremendously inspiring.

My granddaughter's (9th) birthday is coming up very soon. I already bought her a copy.

[Sandy Brehl · Rating 4 out of 5]

This extensive portrayal of Susan B. Anthony turns the typical two-paragprah profile of a well-known name from Women's History Month into a richly detailed and remarkable woman who changed America. And the story is clear that she did not do this alone. Other names, some very familiar, some only vaguely, rise from the pages to interact with Anthony and reveal a network of committed women who offered support and survival skills during the darkest of times.
The writing is personable and personal, lacing informative text with well-researched anecdotes that shaped Anthony's life and commitments.
This is one title within a series of biographies about people who shaped American history, and it is well done.

[Emily Grindstaff · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this edition of The Making of America, we learn much about the life of the Suffragette and Feminist Susan B. Anthony. The biography covers Anthony's childhood, education (both learning and teaching), as well as her work as an abolitionist and with Elizabeth Cady Stanton. This selection would be a great addition to a collection for women's history month or even black history month as it covers her work with Frederick Douglass. The novel also has select works that Anthony published and talks about facts about Anthony that we would find shocking. I would recommend this book for fifth grade students or even an advanced fourth grade student.

[Tracy Lyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the cover, I expected this to be more of a Scholastic reader’s biography of Susan B. Anthony, written for students. Instead, I found it to be a very thorough and inspiring biography of a national hero. It will give you a much deeper understanding of the roots of the Women’s Suffrage Movement, and spur you on to further reading on the topic.

[Gail Wollenberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very well written. Every woman should read this. Her courage and tenacity are mind boggling. We all need to mentally thank her every day for what she set into motion and all she accomplishments in her lifetime. She never gave up. How sad that she didn’t see it finally put into the Constitution. The Nineteen Amendment will forever be her gift to all of us.

[Brandi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second history book intended for young adult readers that I've read this year. I'm really quite impressed with the genre. I appreciate that Kanefield took a balanced approach in sharing Anthony's history. This is another book that I will even recommend to adult readers.

[Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informational and interesting to read about this radical lady! Some of the ideas in the book were simplified and the beginning was a bit boring. So much I didn't know about her or the whole history of women's suffrage.

[Erika · Rating 1 out of 5]

I tried to read this with my daughter but it just wasn’t engaging. We couldn’t get enough momentum to read it. Her life is amazing, but this just wasn’t the right book for us.

[Kate Lawrence · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great introduction to Susan B, including the basics of her life, her determination, feistiness, perseverance over the long haul, and lasting achievements.

[Amy Durocher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent and inspiring book!

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a great combination of history and biography, includes photos that add to the depth, really helps you see history in a new way

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very well done with lots of interesting quotes.

[Kendall LeAnne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short quick read. Lots of good history I didn't know.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m really enjoying Kanefield’s historical books. She keeps it interesting so I learn quite a bit without getting bogged down with dry writing.

[Pam Weiss · Rating 4 out of 5]

Susan B. Anthony was a wonder. Still going strong until her 80’s. What an inspiration! All women should be grateful for what she and fellow suffragists did for women’s rights.

[SheReaders Book Club · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is absolutely fascinating! So much great information about Susan, her family/friends, and fellow suffragettes. She was so loved and adored by women. A true hero.

[Amy-Jo Conant · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m really starting to love this series. I’ve only read 2 in the set but they are fantastic.

In particular I think this Susan B Antony one was just right for a (strong) 4th and 5th grade reader. But don’t stop there, as an adult I absolutely appreciated this thorough account of an amazing persons life.

What I loved was the “voice” that so clearly came through. Okay, so I did listen to the audio, but the writing is well done. You can’t help but feel like Anthony is speaking directly to you in parts.

It would behoove all women to be familiar with the struggles of early suffragettes and have an appreciation for the determination, dedication and bravery of these women trailblazers who we can thank for many of the rights we have today.

Equally important is educating young men about the history of our country so we can learn from hardships to make better decisions regarding humanity in the future. Anthony’s Quaker beliefs that all are created equal continue to drive this point home over and over throughout the book.

This book makes what could be a complicated and difficult topic easy to understand. I will admit that I think this book rates as an easier read than the Hamilton book mostly because of the topic. Students can more easily understand the topic of voting and equal rights and come to the book with some background knowledge. However, Hamilton’s book is steeped in politics and finance making it a harder grasp.

A must-read for anyone interested in equal rights for everyone. A great conversation starter for classrooms.

Follow it up with the Notorious RBG and you’ve got a great foundation for women’s rights. Actually in reading about the beginning of the suffrage movement and then reading about how the fight still continues with RGB is actually a really great way to do it. You won’t be disappointed by either.

[Ashley Harvey · Rating 5 out of 5]

The biography Susan B. Anthony written by Teri Kanefield is all about Susan’s work in The Women's Suffrage. Susan was a very radical and significant leader involved in fighting for women's rights throughout the 1800's and early 1900's. At this time there was a proclivity to not allow women the same rights as men.
The author's purpose is to educate people about Susan B. Anthony and the amazing leader she was. She greatly helped make America what it is today, by demanding women equal rights to men. I definitely agree with the author's opinion that people should know about the past history of our nation allowing women the same rights as men, which was so driven by Susan. By reading this book I have so much more understanding of the struggles and unfairness that women had to face. I also have an appreciation for Susan B. Anthony and the right women have to vote. Some questions I have are: How did the author decide what details of Susan's life to put in the book when there are so many spectacular things from her life? The book repeatedly mentions Susan's dear friend named Elizabeth Stanton that also fought for women’s rights. What was the most impactful thing Stanton did for Susan? Susan always remained single, did she ever date men or did she always focus on women's rights?
Overall this book was very educational and gave great insights! Susan did so much for our country and it brings me so much awe! I recommend the reader thinks about the abstract idea what today would be like without Susan B. Anthony as they read.