Abolitionist and suffragist Lucy Stone was born on August 13, 1818, in West Brookfield, Massachusetts. Stone dedicated her life to helping women receive the same rights as men. She was the first woman from her state to earn a college degree and is considered the “heart and soul” of the women’s rights movement. From an early age, Stone realized that women were not treated equally to men in American society. They had fewer rights, and were even paid significantly less for the same jobs. She was determined to rise above such accepted inequality. When she was 16, Stone began teaching at local schools. She received $1 a day, far less than that of the male teachers. She opposed this and pressed for equal wages, though she never matched the male rate of pay.