ORATOR, ABOLITIONIST, AND SUFFRAGETTE UNITED STATES[Anna] dressed as she desired; she traveled where and how she willed; she delivered lectures on subjects many people felt should not even be mentioned in the presence of unmarried young ladies.
—GIRAUD CHESTER, BIOGRAPHER
The young speaker stood in front of more than eight hundred people. It was Anna’s first major speech, and she was understandably nervous. Some of the people in the audience seemed to be looking at her with doubt, as if they were saying to themselves, “How could this teenage girl tell us anything we don’t already know?” As she began her speech, “The Rights and Wrongs of Women,” Anna’s large eyes scanned the audience. Her knowledge of the subject was so thorough that she needed very few notes. With each word she spoke, eighteen-year-old Anna felt more confident. The skepticism was quickly fading from the faces in the audience.
Anna’s childhood home was actually a station on the Underground Railroad, a secret organization that helped slaves escape to freedom.
Anna passionately expressed her views, arguing that women should be allowed to vote and to hold any job they wanted. At the time, women in the United States were not allowed to vote, and many professions—like being a doctor or a lawyer—were off-limits to them. Anna’s opinions were radical for the time, but her clear voice and dramatic style impressed everyone in the audience. After two hours of speaking, Anna stepped down from the platform amid loud applause. She had just begun a career that would make her one of the most famous and influential women of her time.
Anna Elizabeth Dickinson was born on October 28, 1842, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was a time in the United States when tensions were high. Slavery was a hotly debated issue: should it be legal in all states, some states, or should it be outlawed altogether? Anna was the youngest of five children born into an abolitionist family which fought to outlaw slavery. She was raised with the belief that slavery was morally wrong, and she was involved in the anti-slavery movement from a very young age. When she was just thirteen, she even wrote an article for an anti-slavery newspaper.
During her tours across the country, Anna enjoyed mountain climbing. She climbed many of the highest peaks in Colorado—at a time when women were considered too frail for exercise!
Anna attended school until she was fifteen years old, when she had to start working to help support her family. She held various jobs in publishing houses, law firms, and schools. When she was seventeen, Anna attended a meeting on women’s rights. This young girl spoke up, expressing her views that women should be given the same opportunities as men. Her speaking ability was so impressive that she was soon asked to contribute to other debates on women’s rights and slavery.
Anna gave her first major speech at the age of eighteen, and her successful career as an inspiring speaker had begun. She toured the country, gaining the respect of revolutionary leaders such as abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison and women’s rights activists Susan B. Anthony and Lucretia Mott.
In 1863 Anna was asked to become a campaign speaker. She began delivering powerful speeches in support of the Republican candidate for governor in New Hampshire. When the candidate won, Anna’s persuasive speeches were hailed as a major reason. Her success led many politicians to invite Anna to be their campaign speaker in elections, and her fame as an orator continued to grow.
Perhaps her most important speaking engagement occurred in 1864 when Anna was formally invited to speak in front of Congress. She was the first woman ever to speak before the House of Representatives! After this speech she was introduced to President Lincoln, for whom she later campaigned when he was up for reelection.
Anna was often compared to the brave French heroine Joan of Arc, who was the subject of one of her most popular speeches.
Between her campaign speeches, Anna continued to speak out about the evils of slavery, a topic that grew more and more controversial as the nation moved toward war. During the Civil War, the United States fought over her cause, the abolition of slavery, and Anna was undoubtedly the most famous female speaker in the country. At the war’s end, her powerful words were acted upon—the slaves were freed.
Anna traveled the country delivering more speeches on controversial topics. She knew that she couldn’t shy away from subjects just because they weren’t popular. The world needed her message. Only through open debate could these problems be solved. So Anna dared to stand up for what she believed, even when there were many who disagreed with her. Her obvious independence, courage, and passion shocked many people but earned her the respect of a great many others.
Here’s an excerpt from one of Anna’s speeches:
Give to every child in America a spelling book and a free schoolroom, and to every intelligent and respectable person, black and white, man and woman, a ballot and freedom of government, and you will see that this country will stand stronger and stronger amidst the ruins of dissolving empires and falling thrones.10
Anna worked to promote racial and political equality for all. At the National Union Convention in 1866, she joined Theodore Tilton and Frederick Douglass in developing an idea for an amendment to the US Constitution. The amendment would outlaw discrimination based on “race, sex, color, or previous condition of servitude.” Their proposal was accepted by the Republicans and became the fifteenth amendment to the Constitution. Unfortunately, the word sex was omitted from the final amendment, and inequality between men and women was not outlawed.
Anna never married, although she had at least three offers.
Anna’s career paved the way for other female activists and strong women. In the 1870s, she retired from public speaking to begin writing and acting in plays. Anna lived to be ninety years old and even performed in the theater as well. But this outspoken woman will always be remembered for her fame and influence as one of the greatest speakers the United States has ever known.
HOW WILL YOU ROCK THE WORLD?
The dire circumstances faced by impoverished children around the globe is an issue that is very close to my heart. At my suggestion, my family is currently sponsoring several children in India so that they may have a chance at education to break the chain of poverty. I hope to work as a doctor overseas in countries with very poor medical care systems. I want to be a very active citizen in my city, my country, and my world.
JULIA GOYAL 
AGE 17