POLI 330N Week 7 Discussion
Option 1: The Equal Rights Amendment was first proposed almost a century ago and has
still not been added to the United States Constitution. It is supposed to guarantee equal legal
rights for all American citizens regardless of sex. It was first introduced to Congress by Alice
Paul, leader of women's suffrage movement in 1923. Compare/contrast the Equal Rights
Amendment with the Fourteenth Amendment. Did they deal with separate concepts? Explain
your answer.
Option 2: The Bill of Rights is not only included with the United States Constitution but also
state constitutions. All states have provisions in their constitutions that protect individual
rights. Go online and look up your state constitution concerning amendments that are
included in the Bill of Rights. How does your state constitution protect your individual
rights?
Answer
The Equal Rights Amendment was a proposed amendment to the United States Constitution that
would provide legal rights to all Americans, regardless of gender, while the Fourteenth
Amendment promised equal protection of the laws to all Americans, including formerly enslaved
people (Voros, 2017, p.13). The Equal Rights Amendment said that women should have equal
rights in the United States without being discriminated against because of their gender. In
contrast, the Fourteenth Amendment encouraged citizenship to all people born in the United
States, including freed slaves (Brown et al, 1971. P. 881). Both amendments were intended to
protect the United States citizens, and they all advocated for social justice. They ensured a place
