Equal Rights Amendment Importance

The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) was first introduced in to congress in 1923, the amendment stated “Men and women shall have equal rights throughout the United States and every place subject to its jurisdiction.” [4]. The Equal Rights Amendment for those who desired the changes were focused on achieving political as well as economic equality, others sought racial equality [4]. Those who didn’t support the amendment were content on being old-fashioned and still cherished the old ideals that the men were suppose-to be in control of everything [4]. This movement when it should have brought women together as a unified force instead, broke certain groups apart due to issues with divided in tactics and goal setting [4]. In 1924 Alice Paul, a great supporter of the ERA and founder of the National Woman’s Party (NWP), exchanged words with Mary Van Kleeck who was against the ERA [4]. Paul explained that the Woman’s Party was “Striving to remove every artificial handicap placed on women by law and by custom.” Paul believed that the way to do so was to adopt the ERA, which it would not only be seen by federal government but by state as well, that it would override all the preexisting legislation that denies the …show more content…
The ERA I believed increased the importance of feminism in the United States, opened many woman’s eyes to the possibilities to how they could be living. I believe it was not passed because of the disunity of the reform groups if women couldn’t get together as one unit to argue for their own rights. The men of congress probably wouldn’t take them seriously, not only that but men believed that the ERA “Equal Rights campaign was all a delusion and a snare, and that women would never obtain equality until the present economic system was swept away.” And that “women had already nothing but privileges.” Men had the power to stop the ERA because of their places in