Equal Rights Amendment Pros And Cons

Knauer, Christine. “Equal Rights Amendment (ERA).” Encyclopedia of Women and American Politics. By Lynne E. Ford. 2015 ed.

Thousands of women have screamed at the top of their lungs, clawed at the patriarchy, and tirelessly fought for their rights as citizens of the United States of America. From the beginning of mankind, women have been labeled as inferior to men not only physically, but mentally and intellectually as well. Only in 1920 did women gain the right to voice their opinions in government elections while wealthy white men received the expected right since the creation of the United States. A pioneer in women’s suffrage, Susan B. Anthony publicly spoke out against this hypocrisy in a time when women were only seen as child bearers and household keepers. Using the United State’s very own Constitution and Declaration as ammunition, Anthony wrote countless

Equal Rights “We have talked long enough in this country about equal rights it is time now to write the next chapter- and to write it in the books of laws.” Lyndon B. Johnson. An Equal Right amendment was first passed by women political party in 1923. It didn’t pass and it took four decades for a revival into congress. It seemed like it was going to be passed back in 1971 when it was approved by ⅔ vote from the House of Representatives in October of that year.

Roe vs. Wade is the highly publicized Supreme Court ruling that overturned a Texas interpretation of abortion law and made abortion legal in the United States. The Roe v. Wade decision held that a woman, with her doctor, has the right to choose abortion in earlier months of pregnancy without legal restriction, and with restrictions in later months, based on the right to privacy. As a result, all state laws that limited women 's access to abortions during the first trimester of pregnancy were invalidated by this particular case. State laws limiting such access during the second trimester were upheld only when the restrictions were for the purpose of protecting the health of the pregnant woman. Roe v. Wade legalized abortion in the greater United States, which was not legal at all in many states and was limited by law in others.

A few years later, after the widespread voices that ascended women into recognition for change, movements had begun to assemble in towards greater equality. Women had no place to be involved in political affairs, and as recognition started to manifest, in 1848, “the first women’s rights convention is held in Seneca Falls, New York.” (Imbornoni n.d, para. 2). The purpose of this convention was to acknowledge the equality between both genders and allow voting rights for women. This was the first women engagement into American Politics, it’s also the “story of women’s struggle to be treated as human beings –“separate and equal” “(Lynne 24).

I certify that this essay is entirely my own work and has not been revised or altered by anyone else. In 1848 about 300 people gathered for the Seneca Falls Convention in New York to draft a document that is a plea for the end of discrimination against women. There was little to no progress being made for women’s rights before the Seneca Falls Convention took place. After the Seneca Falls Convention there were many changes that followed what was outlined in the Declaration of Sentiments. The movement for women’s right became a more prominent issue after the Seneca Falls convention made the topic at the forefront of politics and began the conversation.

The 1970s were a rough year for African-Americans, still fighting for social and political rights in the United States. Consequently, women still did not receive equal rights. However, in 1972, “Congress approved the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) to the Constitution, which 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’ (History.com Staff).” Out of the thirty-eight necessary states only twenty-two ratified it right away, it was relieving for the moment because the feminist advocates had been trying to be ratified since 1923. The First African-American woman elected into Congress was Shirley Chisholm.

The Equal Rights Amendment was passed to eliminate the discrimination on women and men to have equal rights throughout the United States. Political campaign and politicians were trying to go against voters from supporting the Equal Rights Amendment but Phyllis Schlafly attracted the attention of the nation and she points out that equality of rights under the law should not be denied by the United States or by any state because of gender. People agree with her because she believes equality of rights would eliminate laws that protected women and if the amendment became law they will lose preferential treatment in child custody, legally be subject to the draft and might get less pay from child support. Phyllis says, “why do we have to lower ourselves

The Equal Rights Amendment was a proposed amendment to the United States Constitution stating that civil rights may not be denied on the basis of one’s sex. All throughout history people have argued whether it is best to have human distinctions or gender equality. Ultimately, “The ERA would make women’s equality with men law of the land” (lecture notes). This federal amendment would make it impossible for legislators to pass laws that discriminate against women’s rights. In 1977, 35 out of 38 states ratified the ERA however, despite the widespread public support for the amendment, the extension ran out in 1982.

In her speech, “For the Equal Rights Amendment” Shirley Chisholm addresses her views on securing women’s equality to ensure women have better opportunities. She is an American politician, educator and author that became the first black woman elected to the United States Congress. Chisholm supports her claims about equal rights for women by using examples of statistics to prove a point. Her purpose is to persuade her audience that women in America are neglected by equal rights and excluded from things that men are not. Throughout her deliverance she expressed an inspiring and informative tone to uplift her audience so that Congress can make a change for women.

In 1923, the ERA written by Alice, was introduced into Congress. The Amendment declared “equal rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the US or by any State on account of sex” (“Woman Suffrage”, 2014, para 1). The Amendment was introduced into every Congress through 1972, where it finally passed but failed ratification in 1982. Only 35 states ratified the Amendment by the 1982 deadline. After the failure, the Amendment was again presented to Congress every year, but still fails to get passed.

These women also thought that they had plenty of a say because of this. The ERA fought for the 27th Amendment. Equality of rights can not be denied by the account of sex and is to be enforced by congress. The proposed Amendment is shown in Document 1.

Fortunately, due to the tireless work of decades of activist’s, laws have changed, amendments added to the constitution, and rights granted to those who were previously unjustly denied. One of these victories for women’s rights occurred when women were granted the right

They Did It ! Recently a decision was made that will change America forever. On August 18th Tennessee became the 36th state to ratify the 19th amendment, therefore granting women the right to vote in all states. This decision with certainly be met with both support and opposition from many.

In today’s world, it seems to be that women have the same rights as men, but it wasn't always this way. The speech “Women’s Rights to Suffrage” by Susan B Anthony is the most compelling of all. Susan B Anthony persuades the audience that all women should have the same rights as men. It’s shown through the speech that the federal constitution says “we the people”, the government has no right to take away rights from just one gender, and that women are considered people as well. The fact that the constitution says “we the people” is a primary point in this speech.