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Susan B. Anthony's Petition for Remission of Fine

Susan B. Anthony · 1874

A petition Anthony sent to Congress in 1874 asking that the $100 fine from her illegal-voting conviction be remitted.

Anthony wrote this petition herself to protest the fine imposed after her conviction for voting illegally.

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What it is

This is a petition written by Susan B. Anthony in 1874 and sent to the Congress of the United States. In it she describes how she registered and voted in Rochester, New York, was indicted, and was fined $100 after her trial.

Why it matters

Anthony used the legal punishment against her as another chance to argue her case publicly. By asking Congress to remit the fine, she kept her conviction that women had a constitutional right to vote in front of lawmakers, turning a personal legal defeat into continued political pressure.

Look closer

  • Why would Anthony choose to petition Congress rather than simply pay or ignore the fine?
  • What does the formal, legal language of the petition tell you about how she wanted to be seen?
  • What is left out of this document that you might want to know about the trial itself?

This document 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.

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