Phyllis Schlafly's 'A Choice Not An Echo'

Phyllis Schlafly was a lawyer, an activist, and an author. Schlafly ran for Congress twice, but sadly did not succeed on either occasion. She published “A Choice Not an Echo” which gained tremendous popularity and helped Barry Goldwater win the Republican presidential nomination in 1964. “A Choice Not an Echo” argued that the Republican nomination was unfair and rigged by the “kingmakers”. Schlafly’s arguably most prominent accomplishment was the defeat of passage of the Equal Rights Amendment (“ERA”). She argued against the amendment, expressing how the ERA would negatively impact the American way of living, especially for women. She argued that ratification of this amendment would result in women becoming subject to a military draft,
as well as the abolishment of protective laws. Because of her efforts, the proposed Amendment did not win passage by 38 states. In fact, only 30 of 38 required state legislatures passed the amendment thanks to Schlafly, She is important in the history of the United States because of her bold works, which largely affected the course of this nation’s history