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Lepore: Phyllis Schlafly’s state-level ground game helped sink the Equal Rights Amendment
Summary
Jill Lepore told Concord listeners that the ERA—first introduced in 1923 and passed by Congress in 1972—failed largely because opponents, notably Phyllis Schlafly, organized stronger state-level campaigns and ratification strategies.
Lepore traced the Equal Rights Amendment's long campaign history from its 1923 introduction to its passage in Congress in 1972 and its subsequent failure to secure the necessary state ratifications. She said divisions among feminists over protectionist labor rules and Schlafly’s effective state organizing were decisive factors: "She had an incredibly good ground game in the states," Lepore said.
The historian placed the ERA's defeat in a broader pattern of amendment politics, noting proponents underestimated the challenges of state-by-state ratification while opponents concentrated on pragmatic electoral work in state legislatures and communities.
