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Jocelyn Byers

Professor Sanders

English 111

November 27, 2018

Different Era, Same Stance

Civil rights safeguard against discrimination based on gender, race, religion or age,

amongst many others. Some civil rights granted to American citizens are the right to vote, the

right to a fair trial, the right to education and the right to use public facilities. Susan B. Anthony

and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. were both civil rights activists and are most commonly known for

their impactful speeches. Susan B. Anthony gave a profound speech, “Is it a Crime for a Citizen

of the United States to Vote?” and Martin Luther King Jr. is best known for his speech “I Have a

Dream”. Despite being from different eras, their stance was the same, equality for all people.

Although they had different accounts of equality, due to their personal lives and experiences,

they were two of the most influential figures in the civil rights movement and their dedication

helped close the racial divide in America. Susan B. Anthony’s history and experience brought

forth her speech’s educational focus on how women’s right to vote was being violated despite

written laws, while Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s speech was intended to bring hope for equality

to the African-American culture which had suffered greatly at the hands of inequality.

Susan B. Anthony was a steadfast advocate for civil rights, specifically women’s rights.

Anthony and her family were Quakers and remained active in the anti-slavery movement. At the

young age of 17, Anthony began to petition for the rights of slaves. In 1848, while a teacher in
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New York, Ms. Anthony became involved in the teacher’s union. During this involvement, she

discovered that male teachers were making a monthly salary of $10.00 while female teachers

were only making $2.50 per month. Ms. Anthony was soon introduced to Elizabeth Cady

Stanton, a well-known activist, by Amelia Bloomer, who was also an advocate for women’s

rights. This meeting, along with a speech by activist Lucy Stone, sparked Anthony’s interest in

the women’s rights movement. By the 1850’s she was campaigning for women’s rights at the

state level in New York and became an agent for the American Anti-Slavery Society. Susan B.

Anthony, along with Ms. Stanton, founded the American Equal Rights Association and became

editors of the newspaper, The Revolution. Anthony and Stanton, along with other activists,

formed the National Woman Suffrage Association. In 1872, Anthony voted in the Presidential

election and was then arrested and put on trial in New York (National Park Service). Because of

all these experiences and the education they provided her, Ms. Anthony gave a profound speech,

to women and men alike, about the violation of women’s right to vote in America. Greatly owing

to the impact of her speech, “Is it a Crime for a Citizen of the United States to Vote?” the 19th

Amendment was named the Susan B. Anthony Amendment. This amendment was ratified in

1920, 14 years after her death (National Park Service).

Martin Luther King Jr. gave profound speeches across the country to promote change

within the daily lives of African American citizens. He was one of the most prominent leaders of

the 20th century. King was born in the segregated city of Atlanta, Georgia. He graduated from

Morehouse College, Crozer Theological Seminary and finally, Boston University, where he

earned his Doctorate. Dr. King was a pastor in Montgomery, Alabama and married Coretta Scott

in 1953. In 1954 Dr. King joined the local NAACP chapter. He then became a leader of the

Montgomery Improvement Association and organized a yearlong bus boycott after the arrest of
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Rosa Parks. The “Montgomery Movement” led to the integration of city buses and began a

country wide, non-violent, protest. Dr. King helped found the Southern Christian Leadership

Conference (SCLC), an African-American civil rights organization where he served as president.

Dr. King and the other leaders of the SCLC led the Birmingham Campaign to desegregate

Birmingham, Alabama. Dr. King was arrested thirty times for his participation in the civil rights

movement. He wrote “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” while incarcerated which gained national

and international attention in the civil rights movement. In 1963, Dr. King helped organize the

March on Washington where he gave his moving “I Have a Dream” speech. Due to the impact of

this well-known speech, Dr. King received the Nobel Peace Prize the following year (National

Park Service). In Dr. King’s speeches he intended to bring hope across African-American

communities. Rather than focusing on facts and statistics, he wanted to connect with his

supporters by sharing his experiences, what he wants to bring awareness to, and hopes for the

future. He achieved this connection and gave a sense a hope through his speeches. Because of

this he and Susan B. Anthony differed in the written aspects of their speeches.

Susan B. Anthony and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. are both well known for their impactful

participation in the civil rights movement. They both tirelessly advocated for equal rights. Ms.

Anthony and Dr. King organized marches and boycotts, developed petitions and campaigned at

the government level to bring national and international attention to the civil rights movement in

America. Both faced threats from the public, as well as criminal charges, because of their stance.

Powerful speeches were given by both leaders. Both speeches cover how laws were written to

ensure equality, but how day to day life in America does not reflect equal rights for all of its

people. Both speakers also discuss how those same laws seem to exclude certain groups,

specifically African-Americans and women.

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When reviewing the lives and stances of Susan B. Anthony and Dr. Martin Luther King

Jr., very few differences are noted. The most obvious differences being that Susan B. Anthony

was a Caucasian woman and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., an African-American man. Ms. Anthony

was born into a family that was active in the anti-slavery movement and she began petitioning

for equality at a very young age. Dr. King didn’t begin his activism until becoming an adult, after

obtaining an education and becoming involved in activist groups. Although both are well-known

for their speeches, Ms. Anthony took more of a logos approach in her speech, providing facts

about laws, quotes from notable figures and providing specific examples of how the

interpretation of those laws affect equality. Dr. King took more of a pathos approach, playing on

the emotions of the audience, using loaded language to grab their attention. Susan B. Anthony

died of natural causes and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated shortly after giving a

speech about equality.

Susan B. Anthony and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. shared a common stance, equality. Both

being passionate orators, gave speeches that are still reflected on and referred to by the American

people. Their participation in the civil rights movement, from their speeches to petitions and

boycotts, set the foundation for something America is still striving to achieve today. Ms. Anthony

and Dr. King dedicated much of their lives encouraging American people to look beyond race,

gender and political affiliation. Their stance is rather simple actually, equal, equals equal.
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Works Cited

“Transcript of Speech by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. August 28, 1963. Lincoln Memorial in

Washington D.C.” Granovetter, www.analytictech.com/mb021/mlk.htm.

Linder, Doug. Address of Susan B. Anthony.

http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/anthony/anthonyaddress.html

“Martin Luther King, Jr.” National Parks Service, U.S. Department of the interior,

www.nps.gov/subjects/civilrights/martin-luther-king.htm.

“Susan B. Anthony.” National Parks Service, U.S. Department of the interior,

www.nps.gov/wori/learn/historyculture/susan-b-anthony.htm.