Observed: School in session.

February 15: Susan B. Anthony’s Birthday: Event Description

Wisconsin Public School Observance Day honoring the Feb. 15, 1820, birth of Susan B. Anthony, an early suffragist, who organized campaigns across the United States advocating for women’s right to vote, get an education, and own property. In 1872, she voted in a federal election and was arrested, tried, and fined for her action. In 1920, 14 years after her death, the 19th Amendment to the Constitution was ratified by three-fourths of the states and adopted, granting women the right to vote.

Wisconsin Public School Observance Days

Background

Wisconsin’s 21 special observance days are part of state statutes governing general school operations (Wis. Stat. sec. 118.02). Federal law has moved the celebration of many legal holidays to Monday, however, state law recommends that each Wisconsin Special Observance Day be held on the day itself. When an observance day falls on a Saturday or Sunday, it should be observed on the preceding Friday or the following Monday.

Honoring observance days can teach the elements of tradition that preserve U.S. society and foster an awareness of our cultural heritage. Observance days can be part of a rich social studies curriculum that gives these individuals and events proper emphasis, both in the context of Wisconsin and U.S. history and in relation to their effect on or improvement of our political, economic, and social institutions.