Anna Elizabeth Dickinson: first woman to give a political address to U.S. Congress

“This very young man who twirls his moustache in embryo, announces magnificently then, ‘Save me from ever marrying a strong-minded woman,’ and, looking at the style of young men who are educated to say so, one might devoutly answer, ‘Save the strong-minded woman from ever marrying you.’” – Anna Elizabeth Dickinson

Black and white historical photograph of Anna Elizabeth Dickinson. She is looking slightly to the right with a serene expression. She wears a mid-19th century dress with long, fitted sleeves, a high collar adorned with a brooch, and a row of buttons extending down the front. Her hair is styled in curls framing her face, typical of the period.
Anna Elizabeth Dickinson

Biography

Anna Elizabeth Dickinson was only five tall tall, frail, with short dark hair and expressive eyes and fiery in personality and demeanor. Mark Twain once described her as one who “talks fast, uses no notes what ever, never hesitates for a word, always gets the right word in the right place, and has the most perfect confidence in herself. Indeed, her sentences are remarkably smoothly-woven and felicitous. Her vim, her energy, her determined look, her tremendous earnestness, would compel the respect and the attention of an audience.”

She was born in to a family of ardent abolitionists, in to a home that was a stop on the Underground Railroad, and to a father who died when she was two years old from a heart attack after giving a speech against slavery. Anna took on his passion for social causes at a young age. She published a piece about an abolitionist school teacher in Kentucky who was being abused when she was just 14 years old. And then she began work in her mid teens as a teacher to help support her mother who was raising five children on her own.

But becoming a public speaker is where she began to make a big impact. Pushed by local abolitionists and suffrage leaders, Anna started giving public speeches. Her style of speech included sarcasm and ridicule, as with ease she could put down hecklers. And though she often suffered from throat issues, she persisted to speak. In 1863 when she was 21 years old, she became the first woman to give a political address to the U.S. Congress.

An antique sepia-toned photograph of Anna Elizabeth Dickinson, captured in profile. She is seated, looking to the left with a contemplative gaze. Her attire is a dress with intricate details on the bodice and sleeves, characteristic of the 19th-century fashion, complete with ruffles and fitted cuffs. Her hair is styled in soft curls that tumble to her shoulders, and a chain necklace with a small pendant gently drapes around her neck. The photograph has a vintage texture, and her name is inscribed at the bottom, adding to its historical authenticity.
Anna Elizabeth Dickinson, circa 1865

“Anna Elizabeth Dickinson: first woman to give a political address to U.S. Congress” sources:

Brady’s National Photographic Portrait Galleries, photographer. Anna Elizabeth Dickinson, orator, abolitionist, advocate for women’s rights, and the first woman to speak before Congress / From photographic negative in Brady’s National Portrait Gallery. [New york: published by e. & h.t. anthony, 501 broadway, between 1855 and 1865] Photograph. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/2017660629/>. / San Francisco Alta California, April 5, 1867 – Mark Twain Quotes. / Brady’s National Photographic Portrait Galleries. Retrieved from the Digital Public Library of America <https://ark.digitalcommonwealth.org/ark:/50959/2514nz713>. / Wikimedia Commons

Notes:

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Click here to read another snapshot biography of a woman who advocated for equality, Dr. Mary Edwards Walker.

To cite: “Anna Elizabeth Dickinson: first woman to give a political address to U.S. Congress.” Historical Snapshots.