Susan B. Anthony is fined $100 for attempting to vote in the 1872 presidential election.

In 1872, Susan B. Anthony, a prominent leader in the women’s suffrage movement, made headlines when she cast a ballot in the presidential election—an act that was illegal at the time since women were not granted the right to vote. Anthony, along with a group of other women, voted in Rochester, New York, citing the 14th Amendment as justification. She argued that as a citizen of the United States, she was entitled to the same rights and privileges as men, including the right to vote. Her act of civil disobedience was a direct challenge to the laws that excluded women from the political process and was intended to test the limits of the Constitution.

Anthony was arrested, brought to trial in 1873, and ultimately found guilty. The judge, without allowing the jury to deliberate, imposed a $100 fine—a considerable sum at the time. She famously refused to pay the fine, declaring, “I shall never pay a dollar of your unjust penalty.” Although the government never enforced collection, the trial became a pivotal moment in the fight for women’s suffrage. It galvanized support for the movement and cemented Anthony’s status as a fearless advocate for women’s rights. Her defiance highlighted the deep injustices of the legal system and helped shift public opinion toward the necessity of reform.