The Equal Rights Amendment

by LeeAnne Gelletly

Overview

It took decades, and a Constitutional amendment, for all American women to get the right to vote. But the legal right to vote did not guarantee equality under the law. Suffrage leader Alice Paul believed another amendment was needed. In 1923, she wrote the Equal Rights Amendment. It was introduced in Congress. And the national debate over the ERA began. The major principle of the Equal Rights Amendment is that gender should not determine any legal rights of citizens. Supporters believed the ERA would keep women from being denied equal rights under federal, state, or local law. The ERA had many opponents in the 1920s. And it had even more in the 1970s, after Congress passed the measure. Although it failed to pass by its 1982 ratification deadline, some people believe the ERA is still alive. They are continuing the effort to put equality for women in the U.S. Constitution.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781422293447
Publisher:	Mason Crest
Publication date:	09/02/2014
Series:	Finding a Voice: Women's Fight for Equal
Sold by:	SIMON & SCHUSTER
Format:	eBook
Pages:	64
File size:	5 MB
Age Range:	6 - 18 Years

Table of Contents

Introduction A. Page Harrington, director, Sewall-Belmont House & Museum 6

1 Equal Rights 9

2 Protective Labor Laws 14

3 A Call for Change 25

4 The Ratification Campaign 35

5 Women in the Constitution 45

Chapter Notes 54

Chronology 57

Glossary 59

Further Reading 60

Internet Resources 61

Index 62

Contributors 64

Editorial Reviews

It is a sad truth that the role of women in history is often relegated to the most limited form of study. For example, when thinking about American history, were you aware that Hattie Wyatt Caraway became the first woman Senator in 1932? Did you realize that it was not until the passage of the Equal Credit Opportunity Act in 1974 that it became illegal to prohibit a married woman from establishing an independent bank account? Were you aware that it was only with the approval of Title IX in 1972 that female enrollments in medical and law schools went from the low single digits to approximately 30%? In this volume of the illustrated "Finding A Voice: Women's Fight for Equality in U.S. Society" series, readers will learn a great deal about the exhaustive efforts to both pass and derail the Equal Rights Amendment to the Federal Constitution. As Leanne Gelletly points out in this highly informative book, efforts were made to establish a constitutional amendment guaranteeing equal rights under the law for women from the point that female suffrage became law in America. For decades the supporters of the Equal Rights Amendment campaigned in a variety of ways. However, for decades the bill authorizing the amendment were stymied due to opposition. When the Equal Rights Amendment was finally brought before each state in the nation for review it ultimately fell just short of passage. However, as readers of this well crafted book will discover, the failure to pass the Equal Rights Amendment did not defeat efforts to ensure greater equality for women. Reviewer: Greg M. Romaneck

Children's Literature - Greg M. Romaneck