[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 37 (Tuesday, March 3, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E533]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                THE SUSAN BROWNELL ANTHONY BIRTHDAY ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. CAROLYN B. MALONEY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, March 3, 2009

  Mrs. MALONEY. Madam Speaker, I rise today, in honor of Women's 
History Month--along with my Democratic colleague Congressman Michael 
Arcuri--to introduce the Susan Brownell Anthony Birthday Act. This bill 
will designate the third Monday in February as a day to celebrate the 
legacy of Susan Brownell Anthony, a pioneer of the women's rights 
movement, and its leader for more than 50 years.
  Born on February 15, 1820, Susan Brownell Anthony met Elizabeth Cady 
Stanton in 1851 and attended her first women's rights convention in 
Syracuse in 1852. At that convention she was inspired to join the fight 
for women's suffrage, asserting that this was ``the right women needed 
above every other.'' The first proposal for women's suffrage was 
presented to Congress in 1868, and the first formal women's suffrage 
amendment to the Constitution of the United States was introduced in 
January 1878. For 35 years after that first proposal was made, Susan 
Brownell Anthony appeared before every Congress to ask for passage of a 
suffrage amendment, demonstrating her unwavering dedication to the 
cause. Her last public words before her death on March 13, 1906 were 
``Failure is impossible.''
  Unfortunately, Susan Brownell Anthony did not live to see her dream 
of women's suffrage become a reality, but thankfully her heroic efforts 
were not in vain. On May 21, 1919, the House of Representatives passed 
the 19th amendment, and two weeks later, the Senate followed. The 
Secretary of State, Bainbridge Colby, certified the ratification on 
August 26, 1920. The text of the 19th amendment states that ``The right 
of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or 
abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex. 
Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate 
legislation.''
  The United States has previously recognized Susan Brownell Anthony's 
tremendous contributions to our Nation. To commemorate her legacy, a 
marble statue of her and her women's rights colleagues, Lucretia Mott 
and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, was dedicated in the United States Capitol 
in 1921. Susan Brownell Anthony's picture appeared on postage stamps in 
1936 and 1955. Her home in Rochester, New York, has been a National 
Historic Landmark since 1966, and in 1979, her image was placed on a 
dollar coin.
  I am proud that the work of Susan Brownell Anthony and her fellow 
suffragists has been acknowledged and honored in these ways. However, 
as the founder and leader of the women's movement in the United States, 
Susan Brownell Anthony deserves a permanent place in our history. 
Passage of the Susan Brownell Anthony Birthday Act would make March 3 
the first Federal holiday that celebrates the birthday of a woman, and 
would allow all women and men in the United States to celebrate and 
honor the legacy of a true American hero.

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