Susan B. Anthony was a well-known 19th-century suffrage activist who fervently supported women's equality and rights under the law. One of her main convictions was that, in the same way that enslaved people fled to Canada for safety, women ought to be allowed to leave oppressive marriages.
Many women in Anthony's era were stuck in violent relationships with little social support or legal protection. If they ended up in an unhappy marriage, they didn't have many choices. Anthony felt that women should have the freedom to leave abusive and mistreatment-filled marriages, just as slaves who escaped north to Canada did so in search of a better life from their cruel masters.
This concept was groundbreaking because it went against the conventional wisdom that marriage is an unbreakable tie under all conditions. Anthony emphasized the urgent need for legislation that safeguarded women's rights and marital well-being by drawing a comparison between divorce and escaping slavery.
Susan B. Anthony's viewpoint on this matter is consistent with her larger belief that everyone should have access to freedom and equality, regardless of gender or social standing. Future conversations regarding marital rights, domestic abuse, and women's personal autonomy were greatly aided by her advocacy.