Phillis Schlafly was a conservative activist that spoke out against feminism and abortion. Growing up, she was very Christian, she attended only Catholic schools and earned a political degree at Washington University. During her early career, she worked for the campaigns of many conservative politicians. She became an influential figure at the 1960 Republican National Convention, when she helped lead a revolt of "moral conservatives" who opposed Richard Nixon's stance against segregation and discrimination. She also received a boost when her book A Choice Not an Echo became popular in support of Barry Goldwater's campaign. Schlfaly spoke out against "Rockefeller Republicans", who were accused of corruption and globalism. She helped move the republican party further to the right.
Schlafly became a big opponent of the Equal Rights Amendment and lead the "STOP ERA" campaign. It stood for "Stop Taking Our Privileges". She argued that the ERA would take away her "gender specific privileges". Her opposition was the National Organization of Women(NOW). Schlafly successfully lead her campaign to making seven more states ratify the ERA. She appeared on TV many times to talk about her viewpoints, giving her a large voice. "I have canceled speeches whenever my husband thought that I had been away from home too much." Schlafly said to TIME. She called Roe v. Wade "the worst decision in the history of the U.S. Supreme Court" and said that it "is responsible for the killing of millions of unborn babies"
Sources:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/phyllis-schlafly-a-conservative-activist-has-died-at-age-92/2016/09/05/513420e2-73bc-11e6-be4f-3f42f2e5a49e_story.html?utm_term=.4d736cf9b327
http://eagleforum.org/about/bio.html
I like how you explored the multiple aspects of Phyllis Schlafly's life and the most prominent beliefs that she supported throughout her lengthy political career. It is evident that you possess a large amount of knowledge regarding the legacy that she has left upon most of the twentieth century, and I have been able to better discern some of the major events and movements associated with her name. However, it is important to note why she developed such a provincial set of views and the major influences upon her life. That way, readers can realize why she acted in the manner she did for so many years. For further investigation with regards to Phyllis Schlafly, here is another detailed resource: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=134981902.
ReplyDeleteInteresting blog post. I especially found it fascinating that even today, this major figure in the Republican Party has had influence. I think Schlafly is a controversial figure, but she's also a unique one in that she herself raises a major question regarding feminism. Should it be expected that all women support women and their rights, or is feminism really the idea that women can and should support whatever they desire even if that is counterproductive to the expanding rights of other women? This question is huge todays as conservative pundits such as Tomi Lahren and Anne Coulter continue to espouse ideas that are contradictory to the feminist movement.
ReplyDeleteIntriguing post on Phyllis Schlafly. Even though I strongly disagree with her viewpoints, I have to admire the skill and eloquence she had. She was able to manipulate her words in order to craft a strong speech that still portrayed her as a "proper" housewife and framed her opponents as angry and barbaric in comparison to herself, which I personally think is the scariest part about her, even more than her ideas. It would be interesting to see how she spoke and worded her speech. Do you think that she would not have made as much of an impact if she was not as eloquent? For more information, go to: http://eloquentwoman.blogspot.com/2011/07/famous-speech-friday-phyllis-schlaflys.html
ReplyDeleteI think Phyllis Schlafly provides an interesting perspective on the comparison of political and social policies throughout the past half century. It is interesting to see someone who was politically active in the 1960's and 1970's shed their opinion on what is going on today in the United States. I think it is polarizing figures such as Schlafly who have led the United States political system to the polarization that exists today. Schlafly's fierce and at times personal attacks on her opponents are reminiscent of today's intense political polarization.
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