History has been unjust to Susan B. Anthony, labeling her rather than exploring the complete individual, ABC television correspondent Lynn Sherr said in a speech last night.
Sherr, who has written a book about Anthony, spoke to a standing-room only crowd in the Hinman Forum of the Rockefeller Center for the Social Sciences. She told the crowd that common images of the 19th-century suffragette conceal her cleverness by portraying her in a one-dimensional light.
Anthony was a "vibrant, eloquent, witty individual," Sherr said.
Anthony's exuberant personality is poorly replicated in photographs because early cameras required the subject to maintain a rigid pose for several minutes at a time, she said.
Sherr's speech was part of an ongoing series celebrating the 75th anniversary of the ratification of the Constitutional amendment granting women the right to vote. The series will discuss the contributions of Anthony and other women to the feminist movement.
Sherr, who became interested in the leader by covering the modern women's movement as a journalist, said Anthony's unique personality benefited all women.
For instance, Anthony often included pro-suffrage information when she paid her grocery bills or sent greeting cards.
Anthony even attached feminist literature to baby gifts so women could get involved early and boys could grow up "thinking right," Sherr said.
According to Sherr, Anthony was a selfless leader.
She knew she would never be able to vote and yet she devoted her entire life to seeking female suffrage, Sherr said.
Early in her life, Anthony was exposed to female leadership. For instance, Anthony's aunt was a leader in the Quaker church.
Anthony was introduced to the suffrage movement while working for temperance. At a convention she was told "women were invited to listen and learn, not to speak," Sherr said.
At the end of her life, Anthony was an internationally recognized figure in politics.
She addressed every Congress after 1860 and knew every U.S. President after Abraham Lincoln until her death in 1906.
Anthony firmly believed women's freedom was tied to economic independence, Sherr said. She even indicted other feminist leaders for having children.
"I looked for evidence she had sex with men or women, but there was none," Sherr said.
"It's quite sad really," she said.
The mostly female audience responded favorably to Sherr's speech, asking questions for about 30 minutes afterward.
"In the 19th century, women had so many hardships they had to face," Kathy Healy '97 said "I was just amazed she went against the tide."
Sherr also said Anthony and her supporters laid the groundwork for the modern movement.
"We were the beneficiaries and we barely knew them," she said.
But Sherr said, there is much yet to be done. For example, sexism remains a lingering problem.
She cited as an example a 1972 Republican issued booklet titled "The Guide to Wives of Candidates" urged wives to stare at their husbands lovingly while they were making speeches.
Sherr said Anthony would be "horrified that after all the work, less than half of the population votes."
