Skip to main content

Secondary sourceBook1898

The Life and Work of Susan B. Anthony

Ida Husted Harper · 1898

A biography of Susan B. Anthony published in 1898, compiled with her own speeches and letters by Ida Husted Harper.

This biography of Anthony was compiled using her own letters and speeches, making it a key source for her life story.

Ask Susan B. Anthony about this sourceView the original(opens in new tab)
Full text (Internet Archive)

About this source

What it is

This is a multi-volume biography of Susan B. Anthony written by Ida Husted Harper and published in 1898, while Anthony was still alive. It includes public addresses, letters written by Anthony, and letters from her contemporaries over fifty years.

Why it matters

Because it draws on Anthony's own letters and speeches, as well as firsthand accounts from people who knew her, this biography is a core source for understanding her life and the broader women's suffrage movement. Its preface notes that a biography written during its subject's lifetime was unusual, showing how important Anthony's supporters considered her legacy.

Look closer

  • Why might Anthony's supporters have wanted her biography written before she died?
  • What advantages and disadvantages come from a biography written with the subject's cooperation?
  • What does the dedication tell you about how the author viewed Anthony's contribution to women's rights?

This book 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