After winning the right to vote in 1920, suffragists continued their fight for equality. In 1923,
the National Woman’s Party and Alice Paul, along with lawyers Sue White and Crystal Eastman,
drafted and introduced to Congress the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA). The ERA, another
constitutional amendment, would guarantee women equal rights under the law and prohibit
discrimination based on sex.

Internationally acclaimed aviator Amelia Earhart joined members of the National
Woman’s Party in 1932 to petition President Hoover to support the Equal Rights
Amendment, also called the Lucretia Mott Amendment. Earhart frequently spoke out
in support of equal rights for women, stating, "Why can't we regard work according
to the individual's natural aptitudes, not as to whether the work is 'woman's work'
or 'man's work'?" Earhart brought this belief with her to Purdue when she joined
as a faculty advisor and women’s career counsellor from 1935 until her disappearance
in 1937.

The ERA was introduced into Congress every year until, forty-nine years later in 1972,
Congress finally passed the ERA and sent it to states for ratification.

The League of Women Voters began a nationwide pressure campaign supporting the
amendment. They networked with other pro-ERA organizations in the United States,
distributed free informational publications to unratified states, and developed a
nationwide plan to organize support.

These actions relied on the work of local and state chapters. The Indiana League and
Greater Lafayette League helped disseminate information, lobbied local and state politicians,
and created ERA resources that provided information directly relevant to state legislation.

Much like the fight for women’s suffrage, the ERA was met with strong opposition,
who argued that the amendment would upset traditional gender roles and endanger
the home and family. The STOP ERA campaign, organized by Phyllis Schlafly, gained
significant support across the United States and in Indiana. STOP was an acronym
for “Stop Taking Our Privileges.”

From 1973 until 1977, ratification was blocked in Indiana. After significant organizing
by Hoosier women and direct support from President-Elect Jimmy Carter and First Lady
Rosalynn Carter, the Indiana Senate passed the Equal Rights Amendment, becoming the
35th and last state to ratify the ERA before the deadline.

Thirty-eight states needed to ratify the ERA for it to pass and although supporters were
able secure a deadline extension, they were unsuccessful in securing the three additional
states required before the June 30, 1982 deadline. In recent years, three additional states
have ratified the ERA, but there is debate as to whether the amendment can be adopted
since ratification occurred after the deadline. In addition, several states have tried to
rescind their previous ratification votes.