Retired United States Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor spoke Sept. 30 in the University's Special Collections Library as part of the Capital Campaign kickoff weekend. During her speech, she spoke of the continuing relevance of Thomas Jefferson to the Supreme Court. The event was closed to the public, and O'Connor's quotes where provided by the University News Service.
O'Connor spoke about the education of women and its importance to Jefferson.
"As a parent in 1783, he urged his daughters to be educated, even in the 'graver sciences,' because the chance that, in marriage, they would draw a blockhead he estimated were about 14 to 1," O'Connor said.
The former justice added that conditions for women and racial minorities have changed dramatically for the better, in part because of Jefferson and his ideals.
"A lot of work remains to be done, but much work has already been completed, and that work was initiated, in large measure, by Thomas Jefferson and the lofty ideals that he articulated for a young nation," she said. "Indeed a great deal of American history can be understood as a struggle to realize the bold vision Thomas Jefferson articulated. All Americans owe him a debt of gratitude because he dared to dream."
However, O'Connor also expounded on some of Jefferson's ideas that have not stood the test of time. O'Connor quoted Jefferson in saying that "women's happiness is to be found in the nursery and in the tender and tranquil amusements of domestic life" and "the tender breasts of ladies were not formed for political convulsions."
O'Connor was brought to the library to speak by Albert Small, the donor of the Declaration of Independence exhibit and a friend of O'Connor.
Hoke Perkins, associate University librarian for philanthropy, said that 150 people attended the private event.
"[For the Capital Campaign kickoff], each unit of the University had a celebration for donors to the University, and this was the library's event," he added.
Justice O'Connor was brought to the library as part of the Declaration of Independence exhibit in the library.
"[O'Connor] was one of the people interviewed in the short film about the Declaration of Independence on display at the library, so we thought it would be appropriate to bring her here to speak," Perkins said.
O'Connor was appointed Supreme Court Justice by the late President Ronald Reagan in 1981 and served until January of this year.
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