Deaf history is more complex and ambiguous than previous studies have indicated, and historians' preoccupation with the manual-oral controversy has precluded a full understanding of deaf people's lives. The historical interests and organized efforts of the Pennsylvania Society for the Advancement of the Deaf (PSAD) transcended language issues and focused on balancing the risks and the benefits of deaf self-determination. One hundred years ago, PSAD's leaders concentrated their efforts on philanthropy and lobbying for the general good of deaf Pennsylvanians, while remaining silent on controversies over deaf education. In effect, they accepted oralism and hearing hegemony in education in exchange for deaf autonomy and improvement in other areas of life. If the PSAD's experience is typical of other state organizations, simple historical models that focus on the actions of hearing oppressors obscure the actual creativity, struggles, and sophistication of America's deaf leaders.