The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) was first proposed as an amendment to the United States Constitution in 1923 and was designed to guarantee equal rights for women. In 1972, it passed both houses of Congress and was sent to the state legislatures for ratification. The ERA was ratified by 35 states, but was unable to garner the mandatory three additional states by the deadline in 1982 . Do you

Question

think that such an amendment would pass today? Why or why not?

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

This question is meant to challenge the student to consider broad issues of equality and amending the Constitution. ERA was a political issue for decades and the student should be able to articulate some differences in the political climate that would support ratification of the amendment. On the other hand, the student may feel that political and social forces in the country today would be similar to the situation when the ERA was defeated. This analysis of fundamental rights and contemporary society in the context of amending the Constitution should elicit strong opinions, but analysis is what matters.