Phyllis Schlafly and Grassroots Conservatism
Subtitle: A Woman's Crusade (Politics and Society in Twentieth Century America)
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Published: January 3, 2008
Language: eng
Format: Paperback
Number of pages: 464
ISBN-13: 9780691136240
Subjects: Political activism; History; Biography / Autobiography; History: American; USA; Political; Political Ideologies - Conservatism & Liberalism; United States - 20th Century; American History; Gender Studies; Political Science and International Relations; Women
First sentence: ONE OF THE most remarkable features of American politics in the late twentieth century is that while governmental responsibilities and obligations to its citizens increased, and democratic rights and civil protections were extended to new groups and classes of people, liberalism was perceived to be a failure.
Description: "Longtime activist, author, and antifeminist leader Phyllis Schlafly is for many the symbol of the conservative movement in America. In this new book, historian Donald T. Critchlow sheds new light on Schlafly's life and on the underappreciated role her grassroots activism played in transforming America's political landscape." "Based on exclusive and unrestricted access to Schlafly's papers as well as sixty other archival collections, the book reveals for the first time the inside story of this Missouri-born mother of six who became one of the most controversial forces in modern political history. It takes us from Schlafly's political beginnings in the Republican Right after World War II through her years as an anticommunist crusader to her more recent efforts to thwart same-sex marriage and stem the flow of illegal immigrants." "Schlafly's political career took off after her book A Choice Not an Echo helped secure Barry Goldwater's nomination. With sales of more than 3 million copies, the book established her as a national voice within the conservative movement. But it was Schlafly's bid to defeat the Equal Rights Amendment that gained her a grassroots following. Her anti-ERA crusade attracted hundreds of thousands of women into the conservative fold and earned her a name as feminism's most ardent opponent. In the 1970s, Schlafly founded the Eagle Forum, a Washington-based conservative policy organization that today claims a membership of 50,000 women."--Jacket.