Lucy Burns

Table of Contents

Introduction References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics

Images & Videos

The journey to women's voting rights and the Nineteenth Amendment

Read Next

Women casting their vote in New York City, c. 1920s. At Fifty-sixth and Lexington Avenue, the women voters showed no ignorance or trepidation, but cast their ballots in a businesslike way that bespoke study of suffrage."

Voting in the U.S.A.

The United States Supreme Court building, Washington, D.C.

14 Questions About Government in the United States Answered

Bar graph of the United States Death Toll during major events. Infogram chart.

U.S. Death Toll During Major Events

The Battle of New Orleans, by E. Percy Moran, c. 1910. Andrew Jackson, War of 1812.

26 Decade-Defining Events in U.S. History

Groups of depositors in front of the closed American Union Bank, New York City. April 26, 1932. Great Depression run on bank crowd

Causes of the Great Depression

Discover

The Prado Museum facade at the Diego Velaszquez memorial. Established in 1819, the museum is considered the best collection of Spanish art and one of the world's finest collections of European art. Madrid, Spain

20 Paintings You Have to Visit at the Museo del Prado in Madrid

Stylish light blue jeans on wooden background, closeup of inset pocket

Why Do Jeans Have That Tiny Pocket?

Timeline and Map of the Panama Canal

What's the Difference Between a Solstice and an Equinox?

The Battle of Gettysburg, July 1-3, 1863. (Civil War, Pennsylvania)

9 Worst Generals in History

Indian hijras participate in a religious procession in Gandhinagar, India, some 30 kilometers from Ahmedabad, on March 22, 2017. Hijra is a term used in South Asia which refers to transgender individuals who are born male. (gender identity, gender expression)

6 Cultures That Recognize More than Two Genders

Is Australia an Island?

Lucy Burns

American suffragist

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: Dec 18, 2024 • Article History

Quick Facts

Born:: July 28, 1879, Brooklyn, New York, U.S.

Died:: December 22, 1966, Brooklyn (aged 87)

See all related content

Lucy Burns (born July 28, 1879, Brooklyn, New York, U.S.—died December 22, 1966, Brooklyn) was an American suffragist whose zealous political organizing and militant tactics helped forge support for a federal constitutional amendment guaranteeing women the right to vote. Burns was the fourth of eight children. Fortunate to have a father who believed in educating children of both sexes, Burns in 1902 graduated from Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York. Over the next seven years, she did graduate work in linguistics, first at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, and then—after a hiatus during which she taught English at Erasmus ...(100 of 373 words)

Access the full article

Help support true facts by becoming a member.