Equal Rights Amendment
Activity
ABC-CLIO Database: American History
Time Period: A Nation in Upheaval, 1954-1975
Topic: Women's Rights Movement
Skill: Classify
Process: Collect and Organize Information
Time Period: A Nation in Upheaval, 1954-1975
Topic: Women's Rights Movement
Skill: Classify
Process: Collect and Organize Information
Inquiry Question: What is the Equal Rights Amendment and why has it historically been difficult to ratify?
Objectives: Students will use the sources provided to define the ERA and to classify the reasons it has historically been difficult to ratify.
What students will discover in the sources: The reference entry on the Equal Rights Amendment covers the evolution of the Amendment, from its inception in 1923 to its current status in the 21st century. The full document of the Equal Rights Amendment illustrates how this constitutional amendment was first proposed in the U.S. Congress in 1923, designed to guarantee equal rights for women. The scholar commentary on the Amendment highlights two areas that made passing the Equal Rights Amendment difficult. Together, these sources define and contextualize the Equal Rights Amendment and illustrate the historical challenges with its ratification.
Objectives: Students will use the sources provided to define the ERA and to classify the reasons it has historically been difficult to ratify.
What students will discover in the sources: The reference entry on the Equal Rights Amendment covers the evolution of the Amendment, from its inception in 1923 to its current status in the 21st century. The full document of the Equal Rights Amendment illustrates how this constitutional amendment was first proposed in the U.S. Congress in 1923, designed to guarantee equal rights for women. The scholar commentary on the Amendment highlights two areas that made passing the Equal Rights Amendment difficult. Together, these sources define and contextualize the Equal Rights Amendment and illustrate the historical challenges with its ratification.
From the American History Database
"Betty Friedan on Men and Women's Liberation," https://americanhistory.abc-clio.com/Search/Display/1535852.
In this video excerpt, Betty Friedan discusses how women's liberation and the women's movement will affect the balance of society.
"Congress to Unite Women," https://americanhistory.abc-clio.com/Search/Display/295111.
A flyer advertising the second Congress to Unite Women, a gathering of women's groups held in New York City in 1970.
"Equal Rights Amendment Supporters," https://americanhistory.abc-clio.com/Search/Display/296337.
Image of members of the American Association of University Women (AAUW) and other proponents of the Equal Rights Amendment demonstrating in front of the White House on March 22, 1977.
"National Organization for Women: a Bill of Rights for Modern Women (1967)," https://americanhistory.abc-clio.com/Search/Display/254754.
Bill of rights to ensure equal rights for women put forth by the National Organization for Women, a women's rights advocacy organization formed in 1966.
"President John F. Kennedy Signs the Equal Pay Act," https://americanhistory.abc-clio.com/Search/Display/294172.
Photograph of President John F. Kennedy signing the Equal Pay Act into law, which was enacted on June 10, 1963.
"Women's Liberation Protest in New Jersey," https://americanhistory.abc-clio.com/Search/Display/1525600.
Photograph of protestors marching against the sexism and racism of the Miss America pageant in Atlantic City, New Jersey, on September 7, 1968.
Professional Resources
"The Equal Rights Amendment: An Ongoing Cause," National Women's History Museum, https://www.womenshistory.org/resources/lesson-plan/equal-rights-amendment.
High school level activity with related primary and secondary sources, from the National Women's History Museum.
"The Equal Rights Amendment Explained," Brennan Center for Justice, https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/equal-rights-amendment-explained.
An up-to-date, approachable primer on the Equal Rights Amendment, and its ratification history, that also looks at its ongoing relevance to contemporary issues.
"Sisterhood is Powerful," Research List, History Hub, https://historyhub.abc-clio.com/Support/ContentList/1745885?cid=122&terms=&productId=0&tab=3.
This classroom-ready research list is a collection of articles, audio, and documents relevant to the study of the women's liberation movement.
Reference Books
Duncan, Joyce. Shapers of the Great Debate on Women's Rights: A Biographical Dictionary. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2008.
The three waves of feminism are explored through the lives of the women who made history in bringing women's issues to the forefront of American society.
Larocco, Christina G. The Women's Rights Movement since 1945: A Reference Guide. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 2020.
Documenting the history of the American women's rights movement from 1945 through the 2016 election, this reference offers a crucial and objective look at the changing strategies, goals, and challenges of American feminists.
Wayne, Tiffany K., and Lois W. Banner. Women's Rights in the United States: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Issues, Events, and People. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 2015.
A comprehensive encyclopedia tracing the history of the women's rights movement in the United States from the American Revolution to the present day.
Nonfiction for Students (6-12)
Anderson, Becca. The Book of Awesome Women: Boundary Breakers, Freedom Fighters, Sheroes & Female Firsts. New York: MJF Books, 2017.
Meet the adventurous, visionary females who set off on a journey to awaken consciousness and achieve greatness and equality for women.
Anderson, Jennifer J. Women's Rights Movement. Minneapolis, MN: ABDO Publishing Company, 2014.
A good companion to middle school social studies and history courses, this series is filled with colorful pages and attention-grabbing text boxes. "Voices of the Movement" pages appear throughout and provide quotes from the key influencers of the time.
Cooper, Ilene. A Woman in the House (and Senate): How Women Came to the United States Congress, Broke Down Barriers, and Changed the Country. New York: Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2014.
The author profiles women who have served in the United States Congress, beginning with Jeannette Rankin, who served from 1917–1919 and 1940–1942, and continuing through 2012.
Gordon, Minette and Jacqueline Ching. Understanding Women's Rights. New York: Rosen Publishing, 2012.
Discusses the history of women's rights in the United States, from the colonial era to the modern day, including the women's suffrage movement, 20th-century feminism, and modern post-feminist America.
Literature & Film for Students
Garnier, Katja, dir. Iron Jawed Angels. New York, NY: HBO Video, 2004. DVD.
The story of defiant young activists Alice Paul and Lucy Burns who broke from the mainstream women's rights movement to create a more activist wing, putting their lives at risk to fight for the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment.
Kendall, Mikki and A. D'Amico. Amazons, Abolitionists, and Activists: A Graphic History of Women's Fight for Their Rights. Berkeley, CA: Ten Speed Press, 2019.
A graphic novel that covers the key figures that have advanced women's rights, from antiquity to the modern era, and the progressive movements led by women that have shaped history, including abolition, suffrage, labor, civil rights, LGBTQ liberation, reproductive rights, and more.
Moore, Honor, ed. Poems from the Women's Movement. New York: Library of America, 2009.
A volume of curated works representing definitive modes of thought during the women's movement of the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. Includes pieces by such writers as Adrienne Rich, Muriel Rukeyeser, and Judy Grahn.
Literature & Film for Educators
Caro, Niki, dir. North Country. Burbank, CA: Warner Home Video, 2005. DVD.
A fictionalized account of the first major successful sexual harassment case in the United States, Jenson vs. Eveleth Mines, where a woman who endured a range of abuse while working as a miner filed and won a landmark 1984 lawsuit.
Thomas, Gillian. Because of Sex: One Law, Ten Cases, and Fifty Years That Changed American Women's Lives at Work. New York: St. Martin's Press, 2016.
The 1964 Civil Rights Act revolutionized the lives of American women with its Title VII, which made it illegal to discriminate "because of sex." Because Of Sex tells that story through the voices, lives, and work of the women directly involved.
Neuwirth, Jessica, and Gloria Steinem. Equal Means Equal: Why the Time for an Equal Rights Amendment Is Now. New York: The New Press, 2015.
Covering topics ranging from pay equity and pregnancy discrimination to violence against women, and through a series of short, accessible chapters, Equal Means Equal tells the story of the legal cases that inform the need for an Equal Rights Amendment, along with contemporary cases in which women's rights are compromised without the protection of an ERA.
Povich, Lynn. The Good Girls Revolt: How the Women of Newsweek Sued Their Bosses and Changed the Workplace. New York: Public Affairs, 2012.
Lynn Povich evocatively tells this first-hand account of how a group of largely apolitical women, raised in the 1940s and 1950s, challenged their bosses in the 1970s workplace.
Steinem, Gloria. My Life on the Road. New York: Random House, 2015.
My Life on the Road is the moving, funny, and profound story of Gloria Steinem's growth, the growth of a revolutionary movement for equality, and of how surprising encounters on the road shaped both.
Websites & Mobile Apps
Equal Rights Amendment, Alice Paul Institute, https://www.equalrightsamendment.org/.
History and ratification timeline of the Equal Rights Amendment, including resources and advocacy tool kit for supporters.
Women's Rights: Equal Rights Amendment, National Archives, https://www.archives.gov/women/era.
Explore photographs, text, and other records related to the Equal Rights Amendment in the National Archives Catalog. Also includes links to educator resources and other reliable online resources.
https://schoollibraryconnection.com/Content/Activity/2295786
Entry ID: 2295786
