The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) 1972
The ERA was first drafted during the First Wave of Feminism in 1923 by Alice Paul and Crystal Eastman, but was not approved to move on to the ballot by Congress until 1972. The goal of the ERA was to ensure that women would have equality when new laws were passed. The language of the 1972 version of the amendment reads, “Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex. The Congress shall have the power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article”. One of the reasons that Congress moved the ERA through was due to the fact that women such as Shirley Chisholm and Martha Griffiths finally held positions of power in Congress. Once the amendment was sent through both chambers of Congress, it had a seven year deadline to be passed. The ERA made great progress within its first year with 30 out of 38 states ratifying the amendment, but opposition such as Phyllis Schlafly and those on her side made further progress much harder. Many famous women’s rights activists supported the ERA such as Gloria Steinem, Flo Kennedy, and more. Even Betty White, who served as First Lady from 1974 to 1977, worked tirelessly to influence the passing of the amendment. While the seven year-deadline was extended to 1982, the ERA still did not have enough states to enact the ERA. Today many female politicians and activists are working to try and reignite new interest in the ERA.
