68th Congress1st SessionH

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68th Congress1st SessionH. J. Res. 75In the House of RepresentativesDecember 13, 1923

Mr. Anthony introduced the following joint resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary and ordered to be printed.

Joint Resolution

Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States.

Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled (two-thirds of each House concurring therein), That the following article is proposed as an amendment to the Constitution of the United States which shall be valid, to all intents and purposes, as part of the Constitution when ratified by the legislatures of three-fourths of the several States:

Article XX.

"Men and women shall have equal rights throughout the United States and every place subject to its jurisdiction."

"Congress shall have the power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation."

Date: December 6, 1925

Name of Representative: Anthony

State: Kansas

Interviewed by: Mrs. E. Bright and Miss M. Vernon

Exact Statement and Remarks:

After Mrs. Bright had expressed appreciation and admiration of Miss Anthony whom she knew, we said how much it meant that he, her nephew, was now aiding the work which she had started by sponsoring the Equal Rights Amendment. Mrs. Bright thanked him for what he had done, and said we hoped it was his intention to introduce the same amendment in the coming session. Mr. Anthony said, "Possibly," but it did not seem best for him to deal with federal legislation which brought in controversial correspondence from all parts of the country. It would require ten secretaries to handle equal rights correspondence he received. We expressed our hope that he was willing to put up with this situation so that he might make a contribution to a cause which is so worthy. He said he wished the amendment well but his business was really with the Appropriations Committee and he could not give time and attention to "side issues." Mrs. Bright then said she was sorry to hear him speak of the amendment as a side issue and he rather took back this statement. We then said we would regard it as a real calamity if he did not introduce the amendment, for it had been really a great help to have one associated with Susan B. Anthony as he was, sponsor the amendment. He answered that knowing the way legislation is put through, he could not agree with this. Mabel Vernon then said women of country would so regard it and asked Mrs. Bright how she would regard it if he failed to introduce the amendment and she replied, "I would think he had deserted the ship." This seemed to give him pause and the interview ended leaving it still undecided whether Mr. Anthony would introduce the amendment.

Transcript ^^

Questions 1-5

1. Summarize the purpose of the Equal Rights Amendment. Compare this to the earlier Nineteenth Amendment, which granted women the right to vote.
2.  Explain why organizations like the National Women's Party valued Daniel Anthony's support of the Equal Rights Amendment.
3. Based on the second document, what can you infer about the outcome of Anthony's 1923 proposal?
4. What changes did Bright and Vernon perceive in Anthony's stance on women's rights?
5. The Equal Rights Amendment was presented to Congress every year from 1923 to 1970, but never passed. Would it pass today? Support your answer with specifics from history or current events.