Phyllis Stewart Schlafly (; born Phyllis McAlpin Stewart; August 15, 1924 – September 5, 2016) was an American attorney,
conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...
activist,
and
anti-feminist,
who was nationally prominent in conservatism. She held
paleoconservative social and political views, opposed
feminism
Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideology, ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social gender equality, equality of the sexes. Feminism holds the position that modern soci ...
,
gay rights
Rights affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people vary greatly by country or jurisdiction—encompassing everything from the legal recognition of same-sex marriage to the death penalty for homosexuality.
Not ...
, and
abortion
Abortion is the early termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. Abortions that occur without intervention are known as miscarriages or "spontaneous abortions", and occur in roughly 30–40% of all pregnan ...
, and campaigned against ratification of the
Equal Rights Amendment
The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) was a proposed amendment to the Constitution of the United States, United States Constitution that would explicitly prohibit sex discrimination. It is not currently a part of the Constitution, though its Ratifi ...
to the U.S. Constitution.
More than three million copies of her self-published book ''
A Choice Not an Echo'' (1964), a
polemic
Polemic ( , ) is contentious rhetoric intended to support a specific position by forthright claims and to undermine the opposing position. The practice of such argumentation is called polemics, which are seen in arguments on controversial to ...
in support of Republican candidate
Barry Goldwater
Barry Morris Goldwater (January 2, 1909 – May 29, 1998) was an American politician and major general in the United States Air Force, Air Force Reserve who served as a United States senator from 1953 to 1965 and 1969 to 1987, and was the Re ...
and condemning more liberal
East Coast Republicans personified by
Nelson Rockefeller
Nelson Aldrich "Rocky" Rockefeller (July 8, 1908 – January 26, 1979) was the 41st vice president of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977 under President Gerald Ford. He was also the 49th governor of New York, serving from 1959 to 197 ...
, were sold or distributed for free. Schlafly co-authored books on national defense, and was critical of
arms control
Arms control is a term for international restrictions upon the development, production, stockpiling, proliferation and usage of small arms, conventional weapons, and weapons of mass destruction. Historically, arms control may apply to melee wea ...
agreements with the
Soviet Union
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
. In 1972, Schlafly founded the
Eagle Forum, a conservative political
interest group
Advocacy groups, also known as lobby groups, interest groups, special interest groups, pressure groups, or public associations, use various forms of advocacy or lobbying to influence public opinion and ultimately public policy. They play an impor ...
, and remained its chairwoman and CEO until her death in 2016, while staying active in conservative causes.
Early life
Born Phyllis McAlpin Stewart, Schlafly was raised in
St. Louis
St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a populatio ...
. Schlafly's great-grandfather Stewart, a
Presbyterian
Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...
, emigrated from Scotland to New York in 1851 and moved westward through Canada before settling in Michigan. Her grandfather, Andrew F. Stewart, was a master mechanic with the
Chesapeake & Ohio Railway. Schlafly's father, John Bruce Stewart, was a
machinist
A machinist is a tradesperson or trained professional who operates machine tools, and has the ability to set up tools such as milling machines, grinders, lathes, and drilling machines.
A competent machinist will generally have a strong mechan ...
and salesman of industrial equipment, principally for
Westinghouse. He was granted a patent in 1944 for a
rotary engine
The rotary engine is an early type of internal combustion engine, usually designed with an odd number of cylinders per row in a radial configuration. The engine's crankshaft remained stationary in operation, while the entire crankcase and its ...
.
During the
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...
, Schlafly's father faced long-term
unemployment
Unemployment, according to the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development), is the proportion of people above a specified age (usually 15) not being in paid employment or self-employment but currently available for work du ...
, beginning in 1932.
[Donald Critchlow. ''Founding Mother-Phyllis Schlafly and Grassroots Conservatism: A Woman's Crusade'', p. 422.] Before her marriage, her mother, Odile Stewart (née Dodge), worked as a teacher at a private girls' school in St. Louis. During the Depression, she went back to work as a librarian and teacher to support her family. Mrs. Stewart was able to keep the family afloat and maintain Phyllis in a Catholic girls' school. Phyllis's sole sibling was her younger sister, Odile.
Education
Schlafly attended
Maryville College
Maryville College is a Private college, private liberal arts college in Maryville, Tennessee. It was founded in 1819 by Presbyterian minister Isaac L. Anderson for the purpose of furthering education and enlightenment into the West. The colleg ...
, but after one year, transferred to
Washington University in St. Louis. In 1944, she graduated with a
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...
and was a member of
Phi Beta Kappa
The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States. It was founded in 1776 at the College of William & Mary in Virginia. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal arts and sciences, ...
. In 1945, she received a
Master of Arts
A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...
degree in government from
Harvard
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher lear ...
.
In ''Strike From Space'' (1965), Schlafly wrote that during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, she worked as "a ballistics gunner and technician at the largest ammunition plant in the world". She earned a
Juris Doctor
A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...
degree from the
Washington University School of Law in 1978.
Activism and political efforts

In 1946, Schlafly became a researcher for the
American Enterprise Institute
The American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research, known simply as the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), is a center-right think tank based in Washington, D.C., that researches government, politics, economics, and social welfare ...
and worked in the successful
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...
campaign of Republican
Claude I. Bakewell.
In
1952
Events January–February
* January 26 – Cairo Fire, Black Saturday in Kingdom of Egypt, Egypt: Rioters burn Cairo's central business district, targeting British and upper-class Egyptian businesses.
* February 6
** Princess Elizabeth, ...
, Schlafly ran for Congress as a Republican in the majority
Democratic 24th congressional district of Illinois.
She won the Republican
primary election over John T. R. Godlewski by 18,793 (61.14%) to 11,943 (38.86%).
[Official Vote
of the State of Illinois -- Cast at the General Election, November 4, 1952, Judicial Election, 1951
Primary Election General Primary, April 8, 1952, Compiled By Charles F. Carpentier Secretary of State (1952)] However, she lost the general election to
incumbent
The incumbent is the current holder of an office or position. In an election, the incumbent is the person holding or acting in the position that is up for election, regardless of whether they are seeking re-election.
There may or may not be ...
Democrat
Charles Melvin Price, winning 63,778 votes (35.20%) to Price's 117,408 votes (64.80%).
[Critchlow 2005, pp. 47–59.] Schlafly's campaign was low-budget and promoted heavily through the local print media, and the major munitions manufacturers
John M. Olin and
Spencer Truman Olin, and the Texas oil billionaire
H. L. Hunt. She was the keynote speaker at the June 1952 Illinois state convention of the Republican Party. In her speech, she accused the
Truman administration
Harry S. Truman's tenure as the List of presidents of the United States, 33rd president of the United States began on April 12, 1945, upon the death of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and ended on January 20, 1953. He had been Vice President ...
of "demoralizing our children by bad examples,
drafting our men, and confiscating our family income."
In early July 1952, she attended her first
Republican National Convention
The Republican National Convention (RNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1856 by the Republican Party in the United States. They are administered by the Republican National Committee. The goal o ...
. She would attend each subsequent Republican National Convention until her death.
As part of the Illinois delegation of the 1952 convention, Schlafly endorsed U.S. Senator
Robert A. Taft
Robert Alphonso Taft Sr. (September 8, 1889 – July 31, 1953) was an American politician, lawyer, and scion of the Republican Party's Taft family. Taft represented Ohio in the United States Senate, briefly served as Senate majority le ...
to be the party's nominee in the
presidential election.
She played a major role with her husband in 1957 in writing the "American Bar Association's Report on Communist Tactics, Strategy, and Objectives."
Donald T. Critchlow says it "became not only one of the most widely read documents ever produced by the ABA, it was probably the single most widely read publication of the grassroots anticommunist movement."
Schlafly was elected to serve as an alternate delegate to the
1960 Republican National Convention from Illinois' 24th congressional district.
At the convention, Schlafly helped lead a revolt of "moral conservatives" who opposed
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 until Resignation of Richard Nixon, his resignation in 1974. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican ...
's stance "against segregation and discrimination."
[Warner, Judith]
She Changed America
, ''The New York Times'', January 29, 2006. Schlafly was the Republican nominee for Illinois's 24th congressional district again in 1960. She again lost the general election to Price, this time by 144,560 votes (72.22%) to 55,620 (27.79%).
[Official Vote of the State of Illinois Cast at the General Election November 8, 1952, Judicial Election 1959–1960 Primary Election General Primary April 12, 1960, Compiled by Charles F. Carpentier Secretary of State]
She came to national attention when millions of copies of her self-published book ''
A Choice Not an Echo'' were distributed in support of
Barry Goldwater
Barry Morris Goldwater (January 2, 1909 – May 29, 1998) was an American politician and major general in the United States Air Force, Air Force Reserve who served as a United States senator from 1953 to 1965 and 1969 to 1987, and was the Re ...
's
1964 presidential campaign, especially in
California
California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
's hotly fought winner-take-all-delegates
GOP primary.
In it, Schlafly denounced the
Rockefeller Republicans in the Northeast, accusing them of corruption and globalism. Critics called the book a
conspiracy theory
A conspiracy theory is an explanation for an event or situation that asserts the existence of a conspiracy (generally by powerful sinister groups, often political in motivation), when other explanations are more probable.Additional sources:
* ...
about "secret
kingmaker
A kingmaker is a person or group that has great influence on a monarchy or royal in their political succession, without themselves being a viable candidate. Kingmakers may use political, monetary, religious, and military means to influence the ...
s" controlling the Republican Party.
Schlafly had previously been a member of the
John Birch Society; founder
Robert Welch Jr. referred to her as a "very loyal" member.
She later quit and denied she had been a member because she feared her association with the organization would damage her book's reputation. By mutual agreement her books were not mentioned in the John Birch Society's magazine, and the distribution of her books by the society was handled so as to mask their involvement. The society was able to dispense 300,000 copies of ''
A Choice Not an Echo'' in California prior to the June 2, 1964, GOP primary. Gardiner Johnson,
Republican National Committee
The Republican National Committee (RNC) is the primary committee of the Republican Party of the United States. Its members are chosen by the state delegations at the national convention every four years. It is responsible for developing and pr ...
for California, stated that the distribution of her book in California was a major factor in Goldwater's winning the nomination.
In 1967, Schlafly lost a bid for the presidency of the
National Federation of Republican Women against the more moderate candidate Gladys O'Donnell of California. Outgoing NFRW president and future
United States Treasurer Dorothy Elston of
Delaware
Delaware ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic and South Atlantic states, South Atlantic regions of the United States. It borders Maryland to its south and west, Pennsylvania to its north, New Jersey ...
worked against Schlafly in the campaign.
In 1970, she ran unsuccessfully for
Illinois's 23rd congressional district, losing to Democratic incumbent
George E. Shipley by 91,158 votes (53.97%) to 77,762 (46.04%). She never sought public office again.
American feminists made their greatest bid for national attention at the
1977 National Women's Conference in Houston; however, historian Marjorie J. Spruill argues that the anti-feminists led by Schlafly organized a highly successful counter-conference, the Pro-Life, Pro-Family Rally, to protest the National Women's Conference and make it clear that feminists did not speak for them. At their rally at the
Astro Arena they had an overflow of over 15,000 people, and announced the beginning of a pro-family movement to oppose politicians who had been supporting
feminism
Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideology, ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social gender equality, equality of the sexes. Feminism holds the position that modern soci ...
and
liberalism
Liberalism is a Political philosophy, political and moral philosophy based on the Individual rights, rights of the individual, liberty, consent of the governed, political equality, the right to private property, and equality before the law. ...
, and to promote "
family values
Family values, sometimes referred to as familial values, are traditional or cultural values that pertain to the family's structure, function, roles, beliefs, attitudes, and ideals. Additionally, the concept of family values may be understood ...
" in American politics, and so moved the Republican Party to the
right
Rights are law, legal, social, or ethics, ethical principles of freedom or Entitlement (fair division), entitlement; that is, rights are the fundamental normative rules about what is allowed of people or owed to people according to some legal sy ...
and defeated the ratification of the ERA.
Opposition to Equal Rights Amendment

Schlafly became an outspoken opponent of the
Equal Rights Amendment
The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) was a proposed amendment to the Constitution of the United States, United States Constitution that would explicitly prohibit sex discrimination. It is not currently a part of the Constitution, though its Ratifi ...
(ERA) during the 1970s as the organizer of the "STOP ERA" campaign. STOP was a
backronym
A backronym is an acronym formed from an already existing word by expanding its letters into the words of a phrase. Backronyms may be invented with either serious or humorous intent, or they may be a type of false etymology or folk etymology. The ...
for "Stop Taking Our Privileges". She argued that the ERA would take away gender-specific privileges enjoyed by women, including "dependent wife" benefits under
Social Security
Welfare spending is a type of government support intended to ensure that members of a society can meet basic human needs such as food and shelter. Social security may either be synonymous with welfare, or refer specifically to social insurance ...
, separate restrooms for males and females, and exemption from
Selective Service
The Selective Service System (SSS) is an independent agency of the United States government that maintains a database of registered male U.S. citizens and other U.S. residents potentially subject to military conscription (i.e., the draft).
...
(the military
draft
Draft, the draft, or draught may refer to:
Watercraft dimensions
* Draft (hull), the distance from waterline to keel of a vessel
* Draft (sail), degree of curvature in a sail
* Air draft, distance from waterline to the highest point on a v ...
).
She was opposed by groups such as the
National Organization for Women
The National Organization for Women (NOW) is an American feminist organization. Founded in 1966, it is legally a 501(c)(4) social welfare organization. The organization consists of 550 chapters in all 50 U.S. states and in Washington, D.C. It ...
(NOW) and the ERAmerica coalition. The Homemakers' Equal Rights Association was formed to counter Schlafly's campaign.
In 1972, when Schlafly began her campaign against the Equal Rights Amendment, the ERA had already been ratified by 28 of the required 38 states. Seven more states ratified the amendment after Schlafly began organizing opposition, but another five states rescinded their ratifications. The last state to ratify the ERA was
Indiana
Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...
, where State Senator
Wayne Townsend cast the tie-breaking vote in January 1977. (Nevada, Illinois and Virginia ratified the ERA between 2017 and 2020, many years after the deadline to do so.)
The Equal Rights Amendment was narrowly defeated, having only achieved ratification in a total 35 states.
Political scientist
Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...
Jane J. Mansbridge concluded in her history of the ERA:
Joan Williams argues, "ERA was defeated when Schlafly turned it into a war among women over gender roles." Historian Judith Glazer-Raymo argues:
Critics of Schlafly pointed out that she was not a typical housewife, as she was heavily involved in political causes.
Broadcast media
In broadcast media, Schlafly provided commentaries on Chicago news radio station
WBBM from 1973 to 1975, the ''
CBS Morning News
''CBS News Mornings'' (formerly ''CBS Morning News'') is an American early-morning news broadcast presented weekdays on the CBS television network. The program features late-breaking news stories, national weather forecasts and sports highlight ...
'' from 1974 to 1975, and then on
CNN
Cable News Network (CNN) is a multinational news organization operating, most notably, a website and a TV channel headquartered in Atlanta. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable ne ...
from 1980 to 1983. In 1983, she began creating syndicated daily three-minute commentaries for radio. In 1989, she began hosting a weekly radio talk show, ''Eagle Forum Live''.
Viewpoints
Social viewpoints
Women's issues
In November 1977, she was an opposition speaker at the
1977 National Women's Conference with Lottie Beth Hobbs, Dr. Mildred Jefferson,
Nellie Gray, and
Bob Dornan.

Schlafly told ''
Time
Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...
'' magazine in 1978, "I have cancelled speeches whenever my husband thought that I had been away from home too much."
In an interview on March 30, 2006, she attributed improvement in women's lives during the last decades of the 20th century to labor-saving devices such as the indoor clothes dryer and disposable diapers.
She called ''
Roe v. Wade
''Roe v. Wade'', 410 U.S. 113 (1973),. was a List of landmark court decisions in the United States, landmark decision of the U.S. Supreme Court in which the Court ruled that the Constitution of the United States protected the right to have an ...
'' "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".
=Equal Rights Amendment
=
Schlafly focused political opposition to the ERA in defense of traditional gender roles, such as only men fighting in war. She argued that the Equal Rights Amendment would eliminate the men-only draft and ensure that women would be equally subject to
conscription
Conscription, also known as the draft in the United States and Israel, is the practice in which the compulsory enlistment in a national service, mainly a military service, is enforced by law. Conscription dates back to antiquity and it conti ...
and be required to serve in
combat
Combat (French language, French for ''fight'') is a purposeful violent Conflict (process), conflict between multiple combatants with the intent to harm the opposition. Combat may be armed (using weapons) or unarmed (Hand-to-hand combat, not usin ...
, and that defense of traditional
gender role
A gender role, or sex role, is a social norm deemed appropriate or desirable for individuals based on their gender or sex.
Gender roles are usually centered on conceptions of masculinity and femininity. The specifics regarding these gendered ...
s proved a useful tactic. In Illinois, the anti-ERA activists used traditional symbols of the American
housewife
A housewife (also known as a homemaker or a stay-at-home mother/mom/mum) is a woman whose role is running or managing her family's home—housekeeping, which may include Parenting, caring for her children; cleaning and maintaining the home; Sew ...
, and took homemade foods (bread, jams, apple pies, etc.) to the state legislators, with the slogans, "Preserve us from a congressional jam; Vote against the ERA sham" and "I am for Mom and apple pie."
The historian Lisa Levenstein said that, in the late 1970s, the feminist movement briefly attempted a program to help older divorced and widowed women. Many widows were ineligible for Social Security benefits, few divorcees received
alimony
Alimony, also called aliment (Scotland), maintenance (England, Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, Wales, Canada, New Zealand), spousal support (U.S., Canada) and spouse maintenance (Australia), is a legal obligation on a person to provide ...
, and, after a career as a housewife, few had any work skills with which to enter the labor force. The program, however, encountered sharp criticism from young activists who gave priority to poor minority women rather than to middle-class women. By 1980, NOW downplayed the program, as they focused almost exclusively on ratification of the ERA. Schlafly moved into the political vacuum, and denounced the feminists for abandoning older, middle-class widows and divorcees in need, and warned that the ERA would unbalance the laws in favor of men, stripping legal protections that older women urgently needed.
Schlafly said that the ERA was designed for the benefit of young career women, and warned that if men and women had to be treated equally, that social condition would threaten the security of middle-aged housewives without job skills. She also contended that the ERA would repeal legal protections, such as alimony, and eliminate the judicial tendency for divorced mothers to receive custody of their children. Schlafly's argument that protective laws would be lost resonated with working-class women.
In 2007, while working to defeat a new version of the Equal Rights Amendment, Schlafly warned it would force courts to approve
same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same legal Legal sex and gender, sex. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 38 countries, with a total population of 1.5 ...
s and deny
Social Security
Welfare spending is a type of government support intended to ensure that members of a society can meet basic human needs such as food and shelter. Social security may either be synonymous with welfare, or refer specifically to social insurance ...
benefits for housewives and widows.
[
]
= Gender pay gap
=
Schlafly objected to the concept of the gender pay gap
The gender pay gap or gender wage gap is the average difference between the remuneration for men and women who are Employment, employed. Women are generally found to be paid less than men. There are two distinct measurements of the pay gap: non ...
, calling it "a deceitful propaganda campaign has been orchestrated by the feminist movement." She stated that it is "part of the feminists' denigration of the role of motherhood ..designed to eliminate ..motherhood by changing us into a society in which women are harnessed into the labor force both full-time and for a lifetime". In fact, she believed that even if men do earn more than women, it is beneficial to society as a whole, because, "we want a society in which the average man earns more than the average woman so that his earnings can fulfill his provider role in providing a home and support for his wife who is nurturing and mothering their children." She stated: "We certainly don't want a society in which the average wage paid to all women equals hat ofmen, because that society would have eliminated the role of motherhood."
Motherhood
Schlafly believed that the primary role of a woman should be that of wife
A wife (: wives) is a woman in a marital relationship. A woman who has separated from her partner continues to be a wife until their marriage is legally dissolved with a divorce judgment; or until death, depending on the kind of marriage. On t ...
, mother
A mother is the female parent of a child. A woman may be considered a mother by virtue of having given birth, by raising a child who may or may not be her biological offspring, or by supplying her ovum for fertilisation in the case of ges ...
, and homemaker
Homemaking is mainly an American English, American and Canadian English, Canadian term for the management of a home, otherwise known as housework, housekeeping, housewifery or household management. It is the act of overseeing the organizational ...
rather than career woman. She also believed that motherhood is crucial to the well-being of society, stating: " otherhoodis the most socially useful role of all" and "the dependent wife and mother who cares for her own children...performs the most socially necessary role in our society."
Differences between men and women
Schlafly held the position that men and women are fundamentally different and opposed what she termed the "feminist ropagandist assertion that "we must redesign society to become gender neutral and that men must shed their macho image and remake themselves to become househusbands." Instead, she believed that it was not possible to eradicate the differences between men and women. She argued that feminists "will have to take up their complaint with God," because "no other power can alter the fundamental and necessary differences between men and women."
Family
Schlafly contended that the family
Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...
is the place of greatest growth and satisfaction for women. She rejected what she claimed is the feminist view that the family is an anachronism
An anachronism (from the Greek , 'against' and , 'time') is a chronological inconsistency in some arrangement, especially a juxtaposition of people, events, objects, language terms and customs from different time periods. The most common type ...
that binds women down. She believed that the institution of the family as "the basic unit of society ..is the greatest single achievement in the entire history of women's rights." She stated that "the future of our nation depends on children who grow up to be good citizens, and the best way of achieving that goal is to have emotionally stable, intact families."
Marriage
In March 2007, Schlafly spoke against the concept of marital rape
Marital rape or spousal rape is the act of sexual intercourse with one's spouse without the spouse's consent. The lack of consent is the essential element and doesn't always involve physical violence. Marital rape is considered a form of dome ...
in a speech at Bates College
Bates College () is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Lewiston, Maine. Anchored by the Historic Quad, the campus of Bates totals with a small urban campus which includes 33 Victorian ...
in Lewiston, Maine
Maine ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the United States, and the northeasternmost state in the Contiguous United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and ...
, "By getting married, the woman has consented to sex, and I don't think you can call it rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault involving sexual intercourse, or other forms of sexual penetration, carried out against a person without consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or against a person ...
."
Schlafly argued that in marriage, men and women's roles are different and should remain so. She defended her stance as one necessary to order instead of a threat to equality; she said, "If marriage is to be a successful institution, it must...have an ultimate decision maker, and that is the husband."
= Same-sex marriage
=
Schlafly opposed same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same legal Legal sex and gender, sex. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 38 countries, with a total population of 1.5 ...
and civil union
A civil union (also known as a civil partnership) is a legally recognized arrangement similar to marriage, primarily created to provide legal recognition for same-sex couples. Civil unions grant some or all of the rights of marriage, with ch ...
s: " tacks on the definition of marriage as the union of one man and one woman come from the gay lobby seeking social recognition of their lifestyle." Linking the Equal Rights Amendment
The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) was a proposed amendment to the Constitution of the United States, United States Constitution that would explicitly prohibit sex discrimination. It is not currently a part of the Constitution, though its Ratifi ...
to LGBT rights and same-sex marriage played a role in Schlafly's opposition to the ERA.
United Nations and international relations
Over the years, Schlafly disdained the United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...
. On the 50th anniversary of the UN in 1995, she referred to it as "a cause for mourning, not celebration. It is a monument to foolish hopes, embarrassing compromises, betrayal of our servicemen, and a steady stream of insults to our nation. It is a Trojan Horse
In Greek mythology, the Trojan Horse () was a wooden horse said to have been used by the Greeks during the Trojan War to enter the city of Troy and win the war. The Trojan Horse is not mentioned in Homer, Homer's ''Iliad'', with the poem ending ...
that carries the enemy into our midst and lures Americans to ride under alien insignia to fight and die in faraway lands." She opposed President Bill Clinton
William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer who was the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, ...
's decision in 1996 to send 20,000 American troops to Bosnia
Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...
during the Yugoslav Wars
The Yugoslav Wars were a series of separate but related#Naimark, Naimark (2003), p. xvii. ethnic conflicts, wars of independence, and Insurgency, insurgencies that took place from 1991 to 2001 in what had been the Socialist Federal Republic of ...
. Schlafly observed that Balkan
The Balkans ( , ), corresponding partially with the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throug ...
nations have fought one another for 500 years and argued that the U.S. military should not be "policemen" of world trouble spots.
Prior to the 1994 Congressional elections, Schlafly condemned globalization
Globalization is the process of increasing interdependence and integration among the economies, markets, societies, and cultures of different countries worldwide. This is made possible by the reduction of barriers to international trade, th ...
through the World Trade Organization
The World Trade Organization (WTO) is an intergovernmental organization headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland that regulates and facilitates international trade. Governments use the organization to establish, revise, and enforce the rules that g ...
as a "direct attack on American sovereignty, independence, jobs, and economy ... any country that must change its laws to obey rulings of a world organization has sacrificed its sovereignty."
In late 2006, Schlafly collaborated with Jerome Corsi and Howard Phillips (activist), Howard Phillips to create a website in opposition to the idea of a "North American Union", under which the United States, Mexico, and Canada would share a currency and be integrated in a structure similar to the European Union.
During the Cold War, Schlafly opposed arms control
Arms control is a term for international restrictions upon the development, production, stockpiling, proliferation and usage of small arms, conventional weapons, and weapons of mass destruction. Historically, arms control may apply to melee wea ...
agreements with the Soviet Union
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
. In 1961, she wrote that "[arms control] will not stop Communist, Red aggression any more than disarming our local police will stop murder, theft, and rape."
Judicial system
Schlafly was an outspoken critic of what she termed "activist judges", particularly on the U.S. Supreme Court, Supreme Court. In 2005, Schlafly made headlines at a conference for the Judeo-Christian Council for Constitutional Restoration by suggesting that "Congress ought to talk about impeachment" of Justice Anthony Kennedy, citing as specific grounds Justice Kennedy's Roper v. Simmons, deciding vote to abolish the death penalty for minors.
In April 2010, shortly after John Paul Stevens announced his retirement as an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, Schlafly called for the appointment of a military veteran to the Court. Stevens had been a veteran and, with his retirement, the court was "at risk of being left without a single military veteran."
Immigration proposals
Schlafly believed the Republican Party should reject immigration reform proposals; she told ''Focus Today'' that it is a "great myth" that the GOP needs to reach out to Hispanic and Latino Americans, Latinos in the United States. "The people the Republicans should reach out to are the white votes, the white voters who didn't vote in the last election. The propagandists are leading us down the wrong path ... [T]here's not any evidence at all that these Hispanics coming in from Mexico will vote Republican."[Phyllis Schlafly's White Voter Mirage](_blank)
, Jordan Fabian, ABC News (United States), ABC News/Univision, May 29, 2013
Presidential elections
Schlafly did not endorse a candidate for the 2008 United States presidential election, 2008 Republican Party presidential primaries, 2008, Republican presidential nomination, but she spoke out against Mike Huckabee, who, she says, as governor left the Republican Party in Arkansas "in shambles". At the Eagle Forum, she hosted U.S. Representative Tom Tancredo of Colorado, known for his opposition to illegal immigration. Before his election, she criticized Barack Obama as "an elitist who worked with words".
During the election, she endorsed John McCain in an interview by saying: "Well, I'm a Republican, I'm supporting McCain". When asked about criticism of John McCain from Rush Limbaugh, she said: "Well, there are problems, we are trying to teach him".
Schlafly endorsed Michele Bachmann in December 2011 for the Iowa caucus of the Republican Party presidential primaries, 2012, 2012 Republican presidential primaries, citing Bachmann's work against "Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, ObamaCare" and deficit spending and Bachmann's support of "traditional values."
On February 3, 2012, Schlafly announced that she would be voting for Rick Santorum in that year's Missouri Republican primary, 2012, Missouri Republican primary. In 2016, she endorsed Donald Trump's candidacy for president. The endorsement soon led to a breach in the Eagle Forum board. Schlafly broke with six dissident members, including her daughter, Anne Cori, and Cathie Adams, the former state chairman of the Texas Republican Party. Adams instead supported U.S. Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, Trump's principal challenger whom Adams considered a more conservative choice.
Schlafly's last book, ''The Conservative Case for Trump'', was published September 6, 2016, one day after her death.
Honorary degree and protests
On May 1, 2008, the trustees of Washington University in St. Louis, announced that Schlafly would receive an honorary degree at the graduation ceremony for the Class of 2008. This news was met with objection from some students and faculty, who complained she was anti-feminist and criticized her work in defeating the Equal Rights Amendment
The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) was a proposed amendment to the Constitution of the United States, United States Constitution that would explicitly prohibit sex discrimination. It is not currently a part of the Constitution, though its Ratifi ...
.
In a letter, fourteen law professors complained Schlafly's career demonstrated "anti-intellectualism in pursuit of a political agenda."
While the trustees' honorary-degree committee unanimously approved who would be honored, five student-members of the committee complained, in writing, that they were required to vote for the five people to be honored, as a slate, rather than individually, and thought that the selection of Schlafly was a mistake, despite her prominence as a famous graduate of Washington University. In the days before the graduation ceremony, Washington University Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton explained the trustees' decision to award Schlafly an honorary degree with the following statement of disclaimer:In bestowing this degree, the University is not endorsing Mrs. Schlafly's views or opinions; rather, it is recognizing an alumna of the University whose life and work have had a broad impact on American life and have sparked widespread debate and controversies that in many cases have helped people better formulate and articulate their own views about the values they hold.
At the May 16, 2008, commencement ceremony, Schlafly was awarded an honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters, yet faculty and students protested to rescind Schlafly's honorary degree. During the ceremony, hundreds of the 14,000 people in attendance, including one-third of the graduating class and some faculty, silently stood and turned their backs to Schlafly in protest. In the days before the commencement there were protests regarding the awarding of an honorary degree; Schlafly described the protesters as "a bunch of losers". Moreover, after the ceremony, Schlafly said that the protesters were "juvenile" and "I'm not sure they're mature enough to graduate." As planned, Schlafly did not address the graduating class, nor did any other honored guest, except for the commencement speaker, news commentator Chris Matthews of MSNBC.
Personal life
On October 20, 1949, she married attorney John Fred Schlafly Jr., a member of a wealthy St. Louis family; he died in 1993. His grandfather, August, immigrated in 1854 from Switzerland. In the late 1870s, the three brothers founded the firm of Schlafly Bros., which dealt in groceries, Queensware (dishes made by Wedgwood), hardware, and agricultural implements. Fred and Phyllis Schlafly were both active Catholic Church, Catholics. They linked Catholicism to Americanism (ideology), Americanism and often exhorted Catholics to join the Anti-communism#Christianity, anti-communist crusade.
Fred and Phyllis Schlafly moved across the Mississippi River to Alton, Illinois, and had six children: John, Bruce, Roger, Liza, Andrew Schlafly, Andrew, and Anne. When her husband died in 1993, she moved to Ladue, Missouri. In 1992, their eldest son, lawyer John Schlafly, was outing, outed as gay by ''Queer Week'' magazine. He acknowledged that he was gay and stated that he agreed with his mother's opposition to same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same legal Legal sex and gender, sex. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 38 countries, with a total population of 1.5 ...
and extension of civil rights protection to gays and lesbians. Their son Andrew, also a lawyer and activist, created the wiki-based Conservapedia. Their daughter Anne Schlafly Cori, married to the son of Nobel-winning scientists Carl Ferdinand Cori, Carl and Gerty Cori, is chairman and treasurer of Eagle Forum.
Schlafly was the aunt of conservative anti-feminist author Suzanne Venker; together they wrote ''The Flipside of Feminism: What Conservative Women Know – and Men Can't Say''.
Schlafly died of cancer on September 5, 2016, at her home in Ladue, Missouri, at the age of 92.
Published works
Schlafly was the author of 26 books on subjects ranging from child care to phonics education. She wrote a syndicated weekly newspaper column for Creators Syndicate.
Schlafly's published works include:
* '' A Choice Not an Echo'' (Pere Marquette Press, 1964)
* ''Grave Diggers'' (with Chester Ward) (Pere Marquette Press, 1964)
* ''Strike from Space: A Megadeath Mystery'' (Pere Marquette Press, 1965)
* ''Safe Not Sorry'' (Pere Marquette Press, 1967)
* ''The Betrayers'' (Pere Marquette Press, 1968) ISBN B0006CY0CQ
* ''Mindszenty the Man'' (with Josef Vecsey) (Cardinal Mindszenty Foundation, 1972) ISBN B00005WGD6
* ''Kissinger on the Couch'' (Arlington House Publishers, 1974)
* ''Ambush at Vladivostok'', with Chester Ward (Pere Marquette Press, 1976)
* ''The Power of the Positive Woman'' (Crown Pub, 1977)
* ''The Power of the Christian Woman'' (Standard Pub, 1981) ISBN B0006E4X12
* ''Equal Pay for UNequal Work'' (Eagle Forum, 1984)
* ''Child Abuse in the Classroom'' (Crossway Books, 1984)
* ''Pornography's Victims'' (Crossway Books, 1987)
* ''Who Will Rock the Cradle?: The Battle for Control of Child Care in America'' (World Publications, 1989)
* ''First Reader'' (Pere Marquette Press, 1994)
* ''Turbo Reader'' (Pere Marquette Press, 2001)
* ''Feminist Fantasies'', foreword by Ann Coulter (Spence Publishing Company, 2003)
* ''The Supremacists: The Tyranny of Judges and How to Stop It'' (Spence Publishing Company, 2004)
* ''Judicial Tyranny: The New Kings of America?'' – contributing author (Amerisearch, 2005)
* ''The Flipside of Feminism: What Conservative Women Know—and Men Can't Say'' (WorldNetDaily, 2011)
* ''No Higher Power: Obama's War on Religious Freedom'' (Regnery Publishing, 2012)
* ''Who Killed the American Family?'' (WND Books, 2014)
* ''A Choice Not an Echo: Updated and Expanded 50th Anniversary Edition'' (Regnery Publishing, 2014)
* ''How the Republican Party Became Pro-Life'' (Dunrobin Publishing, 2016)
* ''The Conservative Case for Trump'' – posthumously, with Ed Martin (Missouri politician), Ed Martin and Brett M. Decker (Regnery Publishing, 2016)
In popular culture
Phyllis Schlafly is mentioned extensively in the seventh episode of the third season of the comedy TV series ''The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel'', titled "Marvelous Radio". Set in 1960, the episode sees Midge (Rachel Brosnahan) agreeing to participate in a live radio commercial for Schlafly. Initially, Midge is enthusiastic about the prospect of supporting a woman running for Congress. However, after learning about her views, which are portrayed as ultra-conservative and antisemitic, she changes her mind and refuses to speak her part, while already at the recording studio with the broadcast about to start.
The FX (TV channel), FX miniseries ''Mrs. America (miniseries), Mrs. America'' also partially focuses on Schlafly's life and activism, with Cate Blanchett portraying Schlafly. Though some praise the series for its accuracy, Schlafly's family members, among other critics, dispute the accuracy of several accounts in the series.
Schlafly is briefly referred to in the Margaret Atwood novel ''The Testaments.'' The 2019 sequel to Atwood's ''The Handmaid's Tale'', ''The Testaments'' is set in a dystopian theocratic state in which women are segregated by caste and social function, including wives, housekeepers, teachers, and impregnable women. In this setting there is a "Schlafly Café" which is open to women in the "Aunt" or teacher caste.
Electoral history
U.S. House
;1952
;1960
Republican National Convention delegate
Republican National Convention alternate delegate
See also
* 1964 (film), ''1964'' (film)
* ''Mrs. America (miniseries), Mrs. America'', a TV miniseries based on Schlafly and her role on the Equal Rights Amendment; Schlafly is played by Cate Blanchett.
* Mary Whitehouse, British conservative activist
References
*
*
Sources
* Critchlow, Donald T. ''Phyllis Schlafly and Grassroots Conservatism: A Woman's Crusade''. Princeton University Press, 2005. .
* Ehrenreich, Barbara. 1983. ''The Hearts of Men: American Dreams and the Flight from Commitment''. New York: Anchor Books.
* Felsenthal, Carol. ''The Sweetheart of the Silent Majority: The Biography of Phyllis Schlafly''. Doubleday, 1981. .
Further reading
* Bass, Paul W. ''Missouri Innovators: Famous (and Infamous) Missourians who led the way in their field''. Missouri: The Acclaim Press, 2019.
* Carroll, Peter N. ''Famous in America: The Passion to Succeed: Jane Fonda, George Wallace, Phyllis Schlafly, John Glenn''. New York: Dutton, 1985.
* Farber, David. ''The Rise and Fall of Modern American Conservatism: A Short History''. 2010. pp. 119–158.
* Hallow, Ralph Z.
Conservatives' first lady sparked pro-family effort
" ''The Washington Times'', October 7, 2005.
* Schlafly, Phyllis. ''A Choice Not an Echo''.
* Spruill, Marjorie J. ''Divided We Stand: The Battle Over Women's Rights and Family Values That Polarized American Politics''. Bloomsbury, 2017.
External links
Phyllis Schlafly Eagles website
*
** [https://www.c-span.org/video/?174246-1/depth-phyllis-schlafly ''In Depth'' interview with Schlafly, January 5, 2003]
*
Interview with Phyllis Schlafly
(2014), ''1964 Interviews'' Collection, American Archive of Public Broadcasting
{{DEFAULTSORT:Schlafly, Phyllis
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