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Who was Phyllis Schlafly? The real figure Cate Blanchett's Mrs. America character is based on

Granger/Shutterstock
Granger/Shutterstock

Controversial conservative activist Phyllis Schlafly is back in the spotlight thanks to her portrayal in the BBC/FX series, Mrs. America.

Schlafly became a household name in America in the 1960s and 1970s for leading the campaign against the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA). Despite pursuing an advanced education that included both a master’s and a law degree, Schlafly proclaimed herself a housewife to appeal to conservatives. Even as she worked mobilizing conservatives, traveling the country to lobby leaders and giving speeches, Schlafly still referred to her political career as a “hobby.”

From her start in politics to her crusade against the ERA, here is everything you need to know about Schlafly’s life and career - including who will be portraying the polarizing figure in the FX miniseries, Mrs. America.

(Anonymous/AP/Shutterstock)
(Anonymous/AP/Shutterstock)

Who was Phyllis Schlafly?

Schlafly was born Phyllis McAlpin Stewart on August 15, 1924, in St. Louis, Missouri. She had one younger sister, and her father, John Bruce Stewart, was a heavy equipment sales engineer who faced long-term unemployment as a result of the Great Depression. To provide for the family, Schlafly’s mother, Odile Stewart, worked two jobs.

Schlafly showed ambition early, graduating from high school at age 16 and working to pay her way through Washington University. She went on to earn a master’s degree in political science from Radcliffe College, the female coordinate institution for the then all-male Harvard University. (Later, Schlafly would earn a law degree from Washington University in St. Louis in 1978.)

(Harrity/AP/Shutterstock)
(Harrity/AP/Shutterstock)

In 1949, she married lawyer Fred Schlafly, and the couple would have six children together.

Schlafly made two unsuccessful attempts at running for Congress, first in 1952 and then in 1960. Identifying herself as “a housewife” during her campaign and displaying persuasive public speaking skills she would later become known for, Schlafly continued to be involved in politics after her campaigns.

At the time, the Collinsville Herald wrote that Schlafly was “the best twister of facts who has appeared on the local political scene... during the last 35 years.” They also noted that she spoke in “half-truths to her wide-eyed followers.”

Schlafly published her first book, A Choice Not An Echo, in 1964, and she unsuccessfully ran for Congress for the third and final time in 1970.

(Marcy Nighswander/AP/Shutterstoc)
(Marcy Nighswander/AP/Shutterstoc)

In 1972, Schlafly began campaigning against the Equal Rights Amendment, which was a proposed amendment to the United States Constitution that would guarantee equal legal rights regardless of sex. To help her mobilize conservative women, Schlafly formed a conservative organization known as Stop ERA, which would be renamed the Eagle Forum in 1975.

Schlafly remained active in fighting for conservative causes as both the chair and CEO of her Eagles Forum until her death at age 92 on September 5, 2016. During her lifetime, she had written more than 20 books on subjects like politics, nuclear weapons and the Constitution.

How did Phyllis Schlafly influence the Equal Rights Amendment?

(Granger/Shutterstock)
(Granger/Shutterstock)

Schlafly is largely considered to be responsible for preventing the ratification of the ERA, which she began publicly speaking out against in 1972.

At the time she began her anti-ERA crusade, the amendment was on its way to being ratified. Both houses of Congress had passed the ERA by the required two-thirds majority, and it was then sent to the states for ratification with a seven-year deadline to achieve the required 38 state approvals.

Schlafly largely appealed to housewives, recruiting them to help her lobby state legislatures and even having them deliver homemade pies and bread to congressmen. By 1978, the ERA had received ratification from only 35 states. Though Congress passed a bill extending the deadline to 1982, the ERA failed to receive approval from additional states.

Who plays Phyllis Schlafly in Mrs. America?

(BBC)
(BBC)

Cate Blanchett plays Schlafly in the FX miniseries, Mrs. America. The show, which debuted in the US in April 2020 (and the UK in July 2020), follows the women’s liberation movement of the ‘70s through the eyes of Schlafly - its biggest opposer.

Blanchett, who also serves as an executive producer of Mrs. America, has been praised for her portrayal of Schlafly. The actress has previously won Oscars in both the Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress categories for her roles in 2014’s Blue Jasmine and 2005’s The Aviator.

Contrary to Schlafly’s political views, Blanchett is a vocal feminist in her own life. She publicly threw her support behind both the Time’s Up and #MeToo movements in Hollywood, and at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival, Blanchett led 82 women in a protest against the lack of female representation at the film festival.

“I’m never interested in portraying myself,” Blanchett told Harper’s Bazaar UK on why Schlafly interested her. “For me, selfishly, it’s always about trying to understand someone else’s perspective. Often the further from my own experience and my set of values, the more fascinating it is. And the only way we can move forward is to learn from history.”