POLITICAL ACTIVIST

There are few women who have had a greater impact on American conservative politics than Phyllis Schlafly. She became the national figurehead in the fight against abortion in America, while also fighting back against other women’s movements like the Equal Rights Amendment.

Her group, the Eagle Forum, became one of the most powerful conservative think tanks in the country that helped dictate policy for more than four decades under her guidance.

Early Years:

Phyllis McAlpin Stewart was born on August 15th, 1924 in St. Louis. She grew up in a poor family during the great depression, but was still able to pursue her education in private schools in her early years thanks to the persistent efforts by her mother. That early encouragement by her mother and the pressure to succeed set the stage for accomplishments once she began more advanced studies in college.

She first attended Maryville College, then transferred to prestigious Washington University after one year. She graduated with honors in 1945, then continued her higher education at Radcliffe College where she attained her Master’s Degree in government.

Rise To Fame:

Phyllis had proven herself as a supreme intellectual during her educational years, so it made sense to continue her academic career. But she put further studies on hold to work for several years. The degree in government studies led to a research position at the American Enterprise Institute. She also got her first exposure to political campaigns around the same time as she worked on the congressional campaign for Claude Bakewell in her hometown of St. Louis.

This was also the time that she met Fred Schlafly. He came from a wealthy and powerful family in St. Louis. They married in 1949 when she was 25. A few years after the marriage, Phyllis Schlafly made a run for Congress in Illinois, but lost to the democratic candidate by a significant margin. That first campaign didn’t turn out as she liked, but it was a turning point for the young female politician. This is when she vowed to become a fixture of Republican Party for decades to come.

Schlafly once again found herself in the national spotlight with the publication of a report, “American Bar Association’s Report on Communist Tactics, Strategy, and Objectives” in 1957.

This was one of the key documents in the mid-1950s that ramped up anti-communist sentiment in the United States that became a part of governmental relations throughout the Cold War and beyond.

Show Me Success:

Phyllis Schlafly had proven that she could compete with the men of her era, earn their respect, and get things accomplished. By the time she was in her mid-40s, she had run political campaigns, published books that shook the core of the Republican Party and was highly sought after by politicians around the country for her support. But people outside the political world may not have known her name until the 1970s, when she became the outspoken force against the Equal Rights Amendment the was sweeping across America.

Although popular in many circles, the ERA was seen by Schlafly and her followers as a movement that would hurt women more than it would help. The legislation needed to be ratified by 38 states to become law. So Schlafly set out to make sure the amendment didn’t proceed any further than the 28 states that had signed on by 1972. That made her a target of progressive groups like the National Organization for Women who believed that she was working against the women she was vowing to protect.

Her efforts halted the ratification effort at 35 states, which was three shy of what was needed. Schlafly had prevailed. Now, she was a household name as a political player with millions of followers that was a force to be reckoned with.

Schlafly was a staunch conservative in every way. She founded the Eagle Forum in 1972 as a platform to spread her views on conservative causes across the country. It was through the Eagle Forum where she was able to have a massive impact. She was able to reach the public through publications, radio reports, and other media platforms. She led the group until her death in 2016.

Extra, Extra!

• Schlafly attained a juris doctorate degree from Washington University School of Law in 1978.
• Schlafly is often called one of the leaders of the modern conservative movement.