Skip to main content

Secondary sourceArtifact1979

Susan B. Anthony Dollar

Frank Gasparro · 1979

A United States dollar coin minted from 1979 that made Susan B. Anthony the first real woman depicted on circulating U.S. coinage.

Made Anthony the first real woman depicted on circulating U.S. coinage, marking her lasting symbolic reputation.

Ask Susan B. Anthony about this sourceView the original(opens in new tab)
Reverse side of a 1999 Susan B. Anthony dollar coin showing an eagle landing on the moon with Earth in the sky, text reading UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, E PLURIBUS UNUM, and ONE DOLLAR, with stars around the rim.
Reverse of a 1999 Susan B. Anthony dollar coin. Design by Frank Gasparro, United States Mint.

About this source

What it is

The Susan B. Anthony dollar is a United States dollar coin minted from 1979 to 1981, and again in 1999. It was designed by Frank Gasparro, Chief Engraver of the United States Mint, and replaced the earlier Eisenhower dollar.

Why it matters

Organizations and members of Congress called for the new coin to depict a real woman instead of an allegorical figure, and Anthony was chosen as the subject. This made her the first real woman shown on circulating American coinage, reflecting her later reputation as a symbol of women's rights. The coin, however, was poorly received by the public, partly because of confusion with the quarter.

Look closer

  • Why might Congress have wanted a real woman depicted on a coin instead of an allegorical figure?
  • What does the coin's design — Anthony on one side, an eagle landing on the moon on the other — suggest about how she was meant to be remembered?
  • Why do you think the coin was unpopular with the public despite its significance?

This artifact is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Susan B. Anthony on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

More Susan B. Anthony sources

Meet the AI Susan B. Anthony →
Document

Primary source

Susan B. Anthony's Petition for Remission of Fine

Susan B. Anthony · 1874

Scan of a printed and handwritten petition titled 'A Petition for Universal Suffrage,' addressed to the Senate and House of Representatives. Below the text is a two-column list of handwritten signatures under 'Names' and 'Residence,' including Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony, with places such as New York, Rochester, and Brooklyn.Document

Primary source

Petition for Universal Suffrage, circa 1865

Susan B. Anthony and others · circa 1865

Scan of the front page of the first issue of The Revolution, dated New York, Wednesday, January 8, 1868. Masthead reads 'The Revolution' with the motto 'Principle, not policy; justice, not favors.' Three columns of small print include editorials on Kansas woman suffrage and a statement of editors Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Parker Pillsbury and Susan B. Anthony. A round Library of Congress stamp appears at upper right.Newspaper article

Primary source

The Revolution

Elizabeth Cady Stanton · 1868

Dark, nearly black book cover with faint embossed decorative ornament in the center and a white library barcode label on the upper left reading 3 1761 04261 4271 printed vertically.Book

Secondary source

History of Woman Suffrage

Elizabeth Cady Stanton · 1881-1922

Black-and-white studio portrait of two elderly women. A seated woman with curly white hair, wearing a light lace-edged shawl and patterned dress, looks down at papers. A standing woman with white hair in a bun and wire-rimmed glasses, wearing a dark dress with ruffled bodice, holds the papers and looks down at them. Plain grey backdrop.Photograph

Primary source

Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony

Ready when you are

Start chatting with Susan B. Anthony now.

20 messages free · No credit card · Available in 50+ languages.

Trial Humy for freeGet a quote for institutions