Phyllis SchlaflyEdit
Phyllis Schlafly was a catalytic figure in American political life, shaping debates over gender, family, and the proper size and reach of the federal government. A lawyer, author, and relentless organizer, she built a nationwide movement that mobilized millions of people around traditional social norms, a strong national defense, and a cautious approach to sweeping legal change. Her most famous campaign, the Stop ERA movement against the Equal Rights Amendment, helped stall ratification for years and set the terms of how many Americans thought about constitutional equality, the family, and the role of government in private life. Schlafly remained a vocal voice in public debates for decades, influencing the direction of the conservative movement and the broader politics of the era.
Her work as a public thinker and organizer was inseparable from a broader current in American politics that emphasized stable families, limited government, and a robust stance on national defense. Supporters credit Schlafly with energizing a large segment of voters—especially women—around policies that prioritized family life and pragmatism in governance. Critics, by contrast, saw her as a polarizing figure who framed complex social questions in starkly moral terms and who, in their view, understated the experiences and choices of many women who sought other paths. The debates she helped intensify—over abortion, gender roles, and the meaning of equal protection under the law—continue to echo in political contests and in the scholarship on American conservatism.
Early life and education
Schlafly was born in the midwestern city of St. Louis, Missouri, and grew up in a milieu that valued education and public service. She pursued higher education at Wellesley College, earning a bachelor’s degree and developing the intellectual foundations that would support her later legal and political work. After college, Schlafly studied law and became a lawyer, a path less common for women of her generation and one that would color her subsequent advocacy and public writing. Her family life—married to a lawyer and raising children—also shaped her emphasis on the traditional family as a core social institution and as a setting in which women could realize meaningful personal fulfillment.
Political career and activism
Schlafly emerged as a public figure in the 1950s and 1960s through a combination of writing, speaking, and grassroots organizing. In 1964 she authored A Choice, Not an Echo, a polemical critique of what she described as liberal dominance within the Republican establishment and a call for greater ideological clarity and leadership. The book helped bring into sharper focus a strain of conservatism that sought to reframe Republican success around principled opposition to what Schlafly and her allies viewed as excessive government power and moral decline.
Her most enduring organizational project was the Eagle Forum, established in the early 1970s as a national network to advocate for traditional family values, school reform from a family-centered perspective, and a restrained federal government. The Eagle Forum, under Schlafly’s leadership, became a potent intermediary between grassroots activism and national politics, producing policy papers, organizing conferences, and channeling local energy into national campaigns. The Forum's work intersected with broader conservative efforts to influence the judiciary, education policy, and foreign policy, helping to shape the character and strategy of the modern conservative movement Conservatism in the United States.
A central focus of Schlafly’s activism was the Equal Rights Amendment and the movement opposing it, known as Stop ERA. Schlafly argued that an explicitly era-like amendment would have unintended consequences for women and families, alter protections she believed were context-specific (such as those arising from pregnancy and traditional caregiving, as well as the regulatory structure around family law), and force the legal system to treat men and women as identical in every context. In public debates, she and her supporters contended that ERA would not merely guarantee formal equality but could, in their view, erode protections that were designed to accommodate biological and social differences. Supporters of the amendment argued that ERA would codify equal status under the law and prevent discrimination in theory, without prescribing the details of enforcement.
The Stop ERA campaign became a focal point for a broader conversation about women’s rights, civil rights, and the appropriate scope of constitutional reform. Schlafly and her allies argued for a model of social change that emphasized voluntary family arrangements, personal responsibility, and a cautious approach to sweeping legal alterations, while opponents saw ERA as a necessary step toward comprehensive, formal equality regardless of gender. The debate over ERA thus crystallized different visions for gender, law, and society, and Schlafly’s leadership in Stop ERA is widely regarded as a turning point in how political campaigns could mobilize women around a pro-family and pro-tradition agenda. Stop ERA Feminism The Power of the Positive Woman A Choice, Not an Echo
Writings and media
Schlafly was a prolific writer who used books, pamphlets, columns, and media appearances to articulate her philosophy and strategy. Her best-known books and works presented a blend of practical politics, cultural critique, and a normative case for traditional gender roles within the family. The Power of the Positive Woman, for example, sought to articulate a vision of female empowerment grounded in personal initiative, achievement, and leadership within family life and the public sphere. A Choice, Not an Echo argued for a reform-minded conservatism that stressed clear principles, energetic organization, and a disciplined political movement over factional maneuvering.
In addition to her books, Schlafly participated in public debates, hosted or appeared on television programs, and wrote widely circulated articles and columns that sought to translate conservative ideas into policy arguments. Her public communications often emphasized the value of personal responsibility, limited government, and a cautious approach to rapid legal change. Her media presence helped bring a broad audience to issues of family policy, education, and the judiciary, and she became a well-known public mouthpiece for a segment of the movement that valued tradition and reform through steady, principled advocacy. The Power of the Positive Woman A Choice, Not an Echo
Controversies and debates
The central controversy surrounding Schlafly’s career concerns the Stop ERA campaign and the broader fight over the Equal Rights Amendment. Critics argued that her rhetoric exaggerated potential negative consequences and drew on fears about changing gender roles to mobilize support for an agenda focused on preserving traditional family structures and resisting liberal social policy. Proponents of ERA, meanwhile, contended that equality under the law should not depend on social expectations about gender and that constitutional protection was necessary to root out legal discrimination.
From Schlafly’s perspective, opposition to ERA and to certain feminist claims was a defense of women’s real choices rather than a denial of women’s rights. She argued that many women preferred traditional domestic roles or sought balance between home life and work, and that policy should respect those choices rather than pressure them into a single path. Critics within the broader feminist movement faulted her for portraying feminism as a monolithic threat to family and social order. Supporters argued that Schlafly offered a principled critique of social engineering, emphasizing parental rights, school autonomy, and the consequences of rapid policy reform on ordinary families. The debates around ERA, gender, and family policy remain a touchstone for discussions about constitutional reform, social change, and the appropriate pace of political mobilization. Stop ERA Feminism Equal Rights Amendment
Schlafly’s approach to controversy relied on assertive rhetoric and a willingness to engage symbolic issues—such as the perceived implications of equal rights protections for pregnancy, drafting, and domestic labor—that resonated with many voters who valued stability and predictable social norms. Critics who favor more expansive definitions of equality saw these arguments as mischaracterizations of the legal and social effects of reform, while supporters saw Schlafly as a defender of real-world protections and practical policy choices for families in a changing economy. The debate over her work thus illuminates enduring tensions between tradition and reform in American political culture. A Choice, Not an Echo Equal Rights Amendment Feminism
Later years and legacy
Schlafly continued to influence conservative activism well into the later decades of the 20th century and beyond, shaping conservative strategy, messaging, and coalition-building. Her emphasis on grassroots organizing, disciplined messaging, and the mobilization of women's and family-friendly constituencies helped redefine the political landscape and contributed to the broader success of conservative candidates and organizations in the 1980s and 1990s. Her legacy is publicly contested: supporters view her as a critical architect of a durable movement for limited government, strong national defense, and stable family life; detractors view her as a polarizing figure who framed social questions in ways that constrained discussion about women’s autonomy and choice. The conversation she catalyzed continues to inform debates over the balance between equality under the law and recognition of diverse family and life choices. Eagle Forum Conservatism in the United States The Conservative Movement