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Women 's Rights Of The Civil Rights Movement

Decent Essays

Decades after the National Women’s Party pushed for the passage of their proposed Equal Rights Amendment, feminists of the 1960s and 70s rallied once again for this change in the Constitution. The amendment, simply stating that, “Equality of rights under the law shall not be abridged by the United States or any State on account of sex,” quickly gained popularity among activists in the 1970s. This support was not surprising, as this decade was a time of great change and protest. Feminist felt that just as African Americans were gaining civil rights, women, too, should be considered as equals to their counterparts. Women Right’s leaders such as Alice Paul and Gloria Steinem pushed for the passage of such major legislation. With support from Women’s Right’s groups such as the National Organization of Women, the amendment quickly made its’ way to Congress. The bill passed first in the House of Representatives in 1970, and then two years later, it passed in the Senate. As all amendments are passed, the votes then continued into the states. In order to be added to the constitution, the ERA needed to gain the support of thirty-eight states. Within one year, twenty-two states ratified the amendment. The radical pace of the passage was promising and activists were certain that in the seven-year time span Congress allotted for state ratification, the bill would be passed. Momentum slowed, however, when organized opposition came from an unlikely source. Phyllis Schlafly led a

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