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Lepore: Phyllis Schlafly's Stop-ERA campaign shows how state-level organizing can block national amendment
Summary
Lepore recounted the Equal Rights Amendment's multi-decade history and said Phyllis Schlafly's state-level organizing and messaging about protections (and conscription concerns) undermined national ratification after Congress passed the ERA in 1972.
Jill Lepore reviewed the long history of the Equal Rights Amendment, noting it was first introduced in 1923 and passed Congress in 1972 after decades of effort. She said the movement appeared poised to win final ratification, yet Phyllis Schlafly launched a powerful Stop-ERA campaign that emphasized protections for women (including opposition to conscription) and ran a state-level ground game that successfully blocked ratification in enough states.
"She had an incredibly good ground game in the states," Lepore said, arguing that pro-ERA organizers had underappreciated the difficulty of state ratification despite success in Congress. The episode, Lepore said, shows how amendment campaigns require both national and sustained state political effort.
Why it matters: The ERA story illustrates that passage in Congress is necessary but not sufficient for an amendment; state ratification politics can decisively change outcomes.
