I 

111TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1273 

To honor Susan B. Anthony by celebrating her legacy on the third Monday 

in February. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 3, 2009 

Mrs. MALONEY (for herself and Mr. ARCURI) introduced the following bill; 

which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform 

A BILL 

To honor Susan B. Anthony by celebrating her legacy on 

the third Monday in February. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Susan B. Anthony 

5 Birthday Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds the following: 

8 (1) Susan Brownell Anthony created the first 

9 women’s movement in the United States and led 

10 that movement for more than 50 years. 


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1 (2) Born in South Adams, Massachusetts, on 

2 February 15, 1820, Susan B. Anthony met Eliza3 beth Cady Stanton in 1851 and attended her first 

4 women’s rights convention in Syracuse in 1852, 

5 where she joined the fight to get women the right to 

6 vote, arguing that ‘‘the right women needed above 

7 every other . . . was the right of suffrage’’. 

8 (3) The first proposal for women’s suffrage was 

9 presented to Congress in 1868. 

10 (4) Susan B. Anthony appeared before every 

11 Congress from 1869 to 1906 to ask for passage of 

12 a suffrage amendment. 

13 (5) Susan B. Anthony served as the president 

14 of the National Woman Suffrage Association from 

15 1892 until 1900. 

16 (6) Designated then as the 16th amendment, 

17 the first formal women’s suffrage amendment to the 

18 Constitution of the United States was introduced in 

19 January 1878 and stated, ‘‘The right of citizens to 

20 vote shall not be abridged by the United States or 

21 by any State on account of sex.’’. This same amend22 ment was introduced in every session of Congress for 

23 the next 41 years. 


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1 (7) Before her death on March 13, 1906, Susan 

2 B. Anthony’s last public words were ‘‘Failure is im3 possible.’’. 

4 (8) On May 21, 1919, the House of Represent5 atives passed the 19th amendment, and 2 weeks 

6 later, the Senate followed. 

7 (9) On August 18, 1920, when Tennessee be8 came the 36th State to ratify the amendment, the 

9 amendment passed its final hurdle of obtaining the 

10 agreement of three-fourths of the states. Secretary 

11 of State Bainbridge Colby certified the ratification 

12 on August 26, 1920. 

13 (10) The text of the 19th amendment is: ‘‘The 

14 right of citizens of the United States to vote shall 

15 not be denied or abridged by the United States or 

16 by any State on account of sex. Congress shall have 

17 power to enforce this article by appropriate legisla18 tion.’’. 

19 (11) In 1921, a marble statue of Susan B. An20 thony and her women’s rights colleagues, Lucretia 

21 Mott and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, was dedicated in 

22 the United States Capitol. 

23 (12) Susan B. Anthony’s picture has appeared 

24 on two postage stamps, the 3-cent purple stamp 


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1 issued in 1936 and the 50-cent deeper purple stamp 

2 issued in 1955. 

3 (13) Susan B. Anthony’s home in Rochester, 

4 New York, has been a National Historic Landmark 

5 since 1966. 

6 (14) In 1979, Susan B. Anthony was honored 

7 by having her image placed on a dollar coin. 

8 (15) No Federal holiday celebrates the birthday 

9 of a woman. 

10 SEC. 3. CELEBRATING SUSAN B. ANTHONY’S LEGACY ON 

11 THE THIRD MONDAY IN FEBRUARY. 

12 Section 6103(a) of title 5, United States Code, is 

13 amended by striking ‘‘the third Monday in February’’ and 

14 inserting ‘‘the third Monday in February, on which day 

15 the Nation shall also celebrate the legacy of Susan B. An16 thony’’. 

Æ 


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