Question

Describe the political history of the ERA.(1 point)
Responses

The ERA was ratified by 30 states within a year of Senate approval, which is all that was needed to add it to the Constitution.
The ERA was ratified by 30 states within a year of Senate approval, which is all that was needed to add it to the Constitution.

Virginia finally ratified the ERA, allowing it to be added to the Constitution.
Virginia finally ratified the ERA, allowing it to be added to the Constitution.

The ERA was first introduced to Congress in 1923. It was then fully ratified and added as the Twenty-Eighth Amendment in 2020.
The ERA was first introduced to Congress in 1923. It was then fully ratified and added as the Twenty-Eighth Amendment in 2020.

The ERA was first introduced to Congress in 1923. It then took until 1972 for the Senate to approve it.

Answer 1

The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) was first introduced to Congress in 1923, aiming to guarantee equal legal rights for all American citizens regardless of sex. It did not receive significant legislative momentum until it was approved by the Senate and House in 1972. Following its passage, the ERA was sent to the states for ratification, where it garnered widespread support initially, with 30 states ratifying it within the first year. However, the momentum slowed down, and by the original deadline for ratification in 1979, only 35 states had approved it. Despite subsequent extensions and continued advocacy, Virginia's ratification in 2020, while significant, did not meet the required threshold for constitutional amendment, leaving the ERA in a state of legal uncertainty.