Lucy Stone: A Lasting Legacy for Women’s Suffrage and Abolition

Born to two farmers, and one of 9 children, Lucy Stone would eventually become someone mentioned alongside names like Elizabeth Caty Stanton or Susan B. Anthony. Stone became the first woman to get a college degree in all of Massachusetts, but her defiance of gender norms didn’t stop there. 

Throughout her life, Stone had to work much harder than her male peers to succeed in life. Though she was much smarter than her brothers, she had to work as a teacher for years before she could go to college, but even then she had to drop out to take care of her ailing sister. She then attended Oberlin college, known for being progressive and forward thinking, as it was the first college to allow African American students to attend and to grant bachelor's degrees to women. However, Stone was not able to pursue her true passion in public speaking because of her gender. 

After Stone graduationed, her chances for advancing her career were slim, as very few jobs were available to women, particularly educated women. Eventually, she was hired by abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison to write speeches for the American Anti Slavery Society. The causes of abolition and women’s suffrage were closely linked. Her job at the American Anti Slavery Society opened a lot of doors for her, but she was physically attacked as a female abolitionist. 

Though Stone did not attend the Seneca Falls convention, she later organized the first national Women’s Rights Convention, which was a series of meetings that successfully brought the issues of the women’s rights movement to the public eye. Her speech given at the convention made it's way around the world, printed internationally and spreading her views. After Stone got married, she refused to change her maiden name, though it went against the norm of the time, and also left out the part in her vows where a woman mentions obedience to their husband. It was clear Lucy Stone would change for no one, and was steadfast in her beliefs. She also refused to pay taxes on the grounds of ‘taxation without representation’. However, even in states where women’s suffrage had been granted for specific elections, she was unable to vote as she did not take her husband’s last name. 

In 1869, Stone formed the American Woman Suffrage Association, and was an editor for the association’s publication, called The Woman’s Journal. 

"'We, the people of the United States.' Which 'We, the people'? The women were not included."

-Lucy Stone