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Susan B. Anthony cast an illegal vote in 1872 because she wanted to prove that women were citizens.

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In 1872 women were still disenfranchised (couldn't vote) in most of the USA. In their 1871 convention, the National Woman Suffrage Association decided to encourage their members to attempt to vote and when refused, to appeal their denial under the 14th Amendment. Section 1 of that amendment says, "All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws."

The legal argument was pretty sound and by creating a conflict where a case could be established and decided in the courts, they hoped to get a ruling that women were citizens and thus were entitled to vote. Unfortunately the strategy failed due to some creative legal wranglings like finding Ms. Anthony guilty of illegally casting a vote and then not enforcing the penalty so that she couldn't have grounds to appeal.

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8y ago

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