Susan B. Anthony votes in defiance of the law and is arrested

Background. Anthony was a pivotal figure in the women's suffrage movement. The National Woman Suffrage Association convention of 1871 adopted a strategy of urging women to attempt to vote and, after being turned away, to file suits in federal courts challenging laws that prevented women from voting. Following the example set by Anthony and her sisters shortly before election day, nearly fifty women in Rochester registered to vote in the presidential election of 1872.

Arrest. Anthony was arrested on November 18, 1872, in her hometown of Rochester, New York, for voting in violation of laws that allowed only men to vote. Her arrest was part of a broader effort to challenge gender-based voting restrictions. Nearly fifty women in Rochester registered to vote in the 1872 presidential election, following Anthony's example.

Trial. Anthony's trial began on June 17, 1873, and was closely followed by the national press. A contemporary newspaper account describes a judicial opinion on June 19 and a closing argument and sentencing on June 20. Anthony was convicted in a widely publicized trial. Although she refused to pay the fine, the authorities declined to take further action.