Trump Will Pardon Susan B. Anthony – Women’s Rights Hero Who Died in 1906
President Donald Trump will reportedly pardon Susan B. Anthony, a hero of the women’s rights movement in the United States who was convicted of voting illegally in 1872. Anthony has been dead since 1906 and so the pardon will be posthumous.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Trump says he'll pardon Susan B. Anthony, arrested for voting in 1872 in violation of laws permitting only men to vote.
— Zeke Miller (@ZekeJMiller) August 18, 2020
Trump had teased a pardon for a major figure on Monday – leading to speculation about who it would be. However, the decision to pardon Anthony was met with instant incredulity if not surprise. Tuesday is the anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment, permitting women to vote.
“She was never pardoned,” Trump said. “What took so long?”
It’s not entirely clear what prompted Trump’s symbolic pardon of the long-dead suffrage activist as he continues to rail against mail-in voting. However, a prominent anti-abortion group uses her name, despite questionable evidence of her position on abortion.
