Phyllis Schlafly

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Phyllis Schlafly

Phyllis Schlafly in 2011
Born Phyllis McAlpin Stewart
(1924-08-15) August 15, 1924
St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.[1]
Occupation Political activist
Religion Roman Catholic[citation needed]
Spouse(s) John Fred Schlafly, Jr. (deceased)
Children John, Bruce, Roger, Liza, Andrew, Anne

Phyllis McAlpin Stewart Schlafly (/ˈfɪlɨs ˈʃlæfli/; born August 15, 1924) is an American constitutional lawyer, conservative[2] activist, author, and founder of the Eagle Forum. She is known for her staunch social and political conservatism, her opposition to modern feminism and for her campaign against the proposed Equal Rights Amendment. Her self-published book, A Choice, Not an Echo, was published in 1964 from her home in Alton, Illinois, across the Mississippi River from her native St. Louis. She formed Pere Marquette Publishers company. She has co-authored books on national defense and was highly critical of arms-control agreements with the Soviet Union.[3]

Schlafly founded the Eagle Forum in the 1970s and the Eagle Forum Education & Legal Defense Fund, St. Louis. As of 2013, she remains the president of both organizations and maintains a presence on the lecture circuit. Since 1967, she has published a newsletter, the Phyllis Schlafly Report.

Family

Schlafly's great-grandfather Stewart, a Presbyterian, came from Scotland to New York in 1851 and moved westward through Canada before settling in Michigan.[4] Her grandfather, Andrew F. Stewart, was a master mechanic with the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway.[5] Schlafly's father, John Bruce Stewart, was a machinist and salesman of industrial equipment, principally for Westinghouse. He became unemployed in 1932 during the Great Depression and could not find permanent work until World War II.[6] He was granted a patent in 1944 for a rotary engine.[7]

Schlafly's mother was the daughter of attorney Ernest C. Dodge. She attended college and graduate school. Before her marriage she worked as a teacher at a private girls school in St. Louis.[8] During the Depression Schlafly's mother went back to work as a librarian and a school teacher to support her family.

Phyllis Schlafly's son Andrew became a lawyer and founded the website Conservapedia.

Phyllis' husband, attorney John Fred Schlafly, Jr., came from a well-to-do St. Louis family. His grandfather, August, immigrated in 1854 from Switzerland. In 1876, his older brother married Catharine Hubert, the daughter of a local businessman.[9] Shortly thereafter, the three brothers founded the firm of Schlafly Bros., which dealt in groceries, Queensware (dishes made by Wedgwood), hardware, and agricultural implements.[10] They later sold that business and concentrated on banking and other businesses that made them wealthy.[7]

On October 20, 1949, Phyllis married lawyer John Fred Schlafly, Jr. and remained married until he died in 1993. They moved to Alton, Illinois, and had six children: John, Bruce, Roger, Liza, Andrew and Anne.[11] In 1992, their eldest son, John, was outed as gay by Queer Week magazine.[12][13] Schlafly acknowledged that John is gay, but stated that he embraces his mother's views.[12][14] Their son Andrew founded Conservapedia, a conservative open-source encyclopedia, after voicing concerns that Wikipedia had a liberal bias.[15] She is the aunt-in-law of St. Louis brewery owner Thomas Schlafly.[16] She is also the aunt of conservative anti-feminist author Suzanne Venker, together with whom she wrote The Flipside of Feminism: What Conservative Women Know – and Men Can't Say.[17]

Early life

Schlafly was christened Phyllis McAlpin Stewart and brought up as a Roman Catholic in St. Louis, Missouri, where she was born. During the Depression, Schlafly's father went into long-term unemployment, and her mother entered the labor market. Mrs. Stewart was able to keep the family afloat and maintained Phyllis in a Catholic girls' school.[18]

Schlafly started college early and worked as a model for a time. She earned her A.B. Phi Beta Kappa from Washington University, in St. Louis in 1944. She received a Master of Arts degree in Government from Radcliffe College in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1945. In her 1966 book, Strike From Space (1965), Schlafly notes that she worked as "a ballistics gunner and technician at the largest ammunition plant in the world" during World War II. She earned a J.D. from Washington University Law School in St. Louis in 1978.[6]

Activism and political efforts

Among Schlafly's early experiences in politics was working in the successful 1946 campaign of U.S. Representative Claude I. Bakewell.

In 1946, Schlafly became a researcher for the American Enterprise Institute and worked in the successful United States House of Representatives campaign of Claude I. Bakewell.[19]

In 1952, Schlafly ran for Congress as a Republican in the majority Democratic 24th congressional district of Illinois but lost to Democrat Charles Melvin Price.[20] Schlafly's campaign was low-budget and promoted heavily through the local print media, and local entrepreneurs John M. and Spencer Olin as well as Texas oil billionaire H. L. Hunt donated to her campaign.[21] She also attended her first Republican National Convention that year and continued to attend each following convention.[12] As part of the Illinois delegation of the 1952 Republican convention, Schlafly endorsed Robert Taft to be the party nominee for the presidential election.[22] At the 1960 Republican National Convention, Schlafly helped lead a revolt of "moral conservatives" against Richard Nixon's stance (as the New York Times puts it) "against segregation and discrimination."[23]

She came to national attention when millions of copies of her self-published book, A Choice, Not an Echo, were distributed in support of Goldwater's 1964 presidential campaign. In it, Schlafly denounced the Rockefeller Republicans in the Northeast, accusing them of corruption and globalism. Critics called the book a conspiracy theory about "secret kingmakers" controlling the Republican Party.[24]

In 1967, Schlafly lost a bid for the presidency of the National Federation of Republican Women against the more moderate candidate Gladys O'Donnell of California. Outgoing NFRW president and future United States Treasurer Dorothy Elston of Delaware worked against Schlafly in the campaign.[25][26]

Schlafly joined the John Birch Society, but quit because she thought that the main Communist threats to the nation were external rather than internal. In 1970, she ran unsuccessfully for a House of Representatives seat in Illinois against Democratic incumbent George E. Shipley.

Opposition to an Equal Rights Amendment

Symbol used on signs and buttons of ERA opponents

Schlafly became an outspoken opponent of the Equal Rights Amendment during the 1970s as the organizer of the "STOP ERA" campaign. STOP is an initialism for "Stop Taking Our Privileges." Schlafly argued that the ERA would take away gender specific privileges currently enjoyed by women, including "dependent wife" benefits under Social Security and the exemption from Selective Service registration.[27]

In 1972, when Schlafly began her efforts against the Equal Rights Amendment, it had already been ratified by 28 of the necessary 38 states. She organized a campaign to oppose further ratification. Five more states ratified ERA after Schlafly began her opposition campaign; however, five states rescinded their ratifications. The last state to ratify was Indiana, where then State Senator Wayne Townsend cast the tie-breaking vote for ratification in January 1977. Schlafly argued that "the ERA would lead to women being drafted by the military and to public unisex bathrooms."[28] She was opposed by groups such as, National Organization for Women (NOW) and the ERAmerica coalition.[29] To counter Schlafly's Stop ERA campaign, the Homemakers' Equal Rights Association was formed.[30]

The Equal Rights Amendment was narrowly defeated, having only achieved ratification in 35 of the 38 states needed (30, subtracting the five that rescinded ratification).[6]

Critics of Schlafly see her advocacy against equal rights and her role as a working professional as a contradiction. Gloria Steinem and author Pia de Solenni, among others, have noted what they consider irony in Schlafly's role as an advocate for the full-time mother and wife, while being herself a lawyer, editor of a monthly newsletter, regular speaker at anti-liberal rallies, and political activist.[25][31][32] In her review of Schlafly's Feminist Fantasies, de Solenni writes that "Schlafly's discussion reveals a paradox. She was able to have it all: family and career. And she did it by fighting those who said they were trying to get it all for her.…Happiness resulted from being a wife and mother and working with her husband to reach their goals," not in helping other women and families reach their own.

Broadcast media

In broadcast media, Schlafly provided commentaries on WBBM radio from 1973 to 1975, the CBS Morning News from 1974 to 1975, and then on CNN from 1980 to 1983. Then in 1983, Schlafly began creating daily 3-minute commentaries for radio and in 1989 began hosting a weekly radio talk show, Eagle Forum Live.[33]

Viewpoints

Women's issues

Main article: Phyllis Schlafly's social policies

Schlafly told Time magazine in 1978, "I have cancelled speeches whenever my husband thought that I had been away from home too much."[34]

In March 2007, Schlafly said in a speech at Bates College, "By getting married, the woman has consented to sex, and I don't think you can call it rape."[35]

In a March 30, 2006, interview, Schlafly attributed improvement in women's lives during the last decades of the 20th century to labor-saving devices such as the indoor clothes dryer and paper diapers.[36]

She called Roe v. Wade "the worst decision in the history of the U.S. Supreme Court" and said that it "is responsible for the killing of millions of unborn babies".[37]

In 2007, while working to defeat a new version of the Equal Rights Amendment, she warned it would force courts to approve same-sex marriages and deny Social Security benefits for housewives and widows.[28]

United Nations and international relations

In college in 1945, Schlafly applauded the establishment of the United Nations. Over the years, however, she has disdained the UN. On the 50th anniversary of the United Nations in 1995, Schlafly referred to "a cause for mourning, not celebration. It is a monument to foolish hopes, embarrassing compromises, betrayal of our servicemen, and a steady stream of insults to our nation. It is a Trojan Horse that carries the enemy into our midst and lures Americans to ride under alien insignia to fight and die in faraway lands." She opposed President Bill Clinton's decision in 1996 to send 20,000 American troops to Bosnia. Schlafly noted that Balkan nations have fought one another for 500 years and that the U.S. military should not be "policemen" of world trouble spots.[38]

Prior to the 1994 Congressional elections, Schlafly condemned globalization through the World Trade Organization as a "direct attack on American sovereignty, independence, jobs, and economy . . . any country that must change its laws to obey rulings of a world organization has sacrificed its sovereignty."[39]

In late 2006, Schlafly collaborated with Jerome Corsi and Howard Phillips to create a website in opposition to the idea of a "North American Union", under which the United States, Mexico, and Canada would share a currency and be integrated in a structure similar to the European Union.[40]

In 1961, Schlafly wrote that "[arms control] will not stop Red aggression any more than disarming our local police will stop murder, theft, and rape."[41]

Judicial system

Schlafly has been an outspoken critic of what she terms "activist judges", particularly on the Supreme Court. In 2005, Schlafly made headlines at a conference for the Judeo-Christian Council for Constitutional Restoration by suggesting that "Congress ought to talk about impeachment" of Justice Anthony Kennedy, citing as specific grounds Justice Kennedy's deciding vote to abolish the death penalty for minors.[42] In April 2010, shortly after John Paul Stevens announced his retirement as an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, Schlafly called for the appointment of a military veteran to the Court, since Stevens had been a veteran and, with his retirement, the court was "at risk of being left without a single military veteran."[43]

Presidential elections

Schlafly did not endorse a candidate for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination, but she has spoken out against Mike Huckabee, who, she says, as governor left the Republican Party in Arkansas "in shambles". She has hosted at the Eagle Forum U.S. Representative Tom Tancredo of Colorado, known for his opposition to illegal immigration. Before his election she criticised Barack Obama as "an elitist who worked with words".[44] During the election, she endorsed John McCain in an interview by saying: "Well, I'm a Republican, I'm supporting McCain". When asked about criticism of John McCain from Rush Limbaugh, she said: "Well, there are problems, we are trying to teach him".[45]

Schlafly endorsed Michele Bachmann in December 2011 for the Iowa primary of the 2012 Republican presidential primaries, citing Bachmann's work against "ObamaCare" and deficit spending and her (Bachmann's) support of "traditional values."[46]

On February 3 Schlafly announced that she would be voting for Rick Santorum in the Missouri Republican primary.[47]

Same-sex marriage

Schlafly opposes same-sex marriage and civil unions: "[a]ttacks on the definition of marriage as the union of one man and one woman come from the gay lobby seeking social recognition of their lifestyle."[48] Linking the Equal Rights Amendment to LGBT rights and same-sex marriage played a role in Schlafly's opposition to the ERA.[49][50]

Immigration proposals

Schlafly believes the Republican Party should reject immigration reform proposals, and told Focus Today that it is a "great myth" that the GOP needs to reach out to Latinos in the United States. "The people the Republicans should reach out to are the white votes, the white voters who didn’t vote in the last election. The propagandists are leading us down the wrong path,” she said. “There’s not any evidence at all that these Hispanics coming in from Mexico will vote Republican.”[51][52]

Honorary degree and protests

On May 1, 2008, the Board of Trustees of Washington University in St. Louis announced that Schlafly would be presented an honorary degree at the school's 2008 commencement ceremony. This was immediately met with objection by some students and faculty at the university who accused her of being anti-feminist and criticized her work on defeating the equal rights amendment.[53] Fourteen university law professors wrote in a complaint letter that Schlafly's career demonstrated "anti-intellectualism in pursuit of a political agenda."[54] While the Board of Trustees' honorary degree committee approved the honorees unanimously, five student members of the committee wrote to complain that they had to vote on the five honorees as a slate, in the final stage of the voting and feel the selection of Schlafly was a mistake.[55][56] Katha Pollitt of The Nation magazine criticized the decision, decrying Schlafly as a "promoter of innumerable crackpot far-right conspiracy theories" and an opponent of women's rights.[57]

In the days leading up to the commencement ceremony, Washington University Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton explained the university’s Board of Trustees' decision to award Schlafly’s degree with the following statement:

In bestowing this degree, the University is not endorsing Mrs. Schlafly's views or opinions; rather, it is recognizing an alumna of the University whose life and work have had a broad impact on American life and have sparked widespread debate and controversies that in many cases have helped people better formulate and articulate their own views about the values they hold.[58]

At the May 16, 2008, commencement ceremony, Schlafly was awarded a Doctor of Humane Letters degree. A protest to rescind Schlafly's honorary degree received support from faculty and students. During the ceremony, hundreds of the 14,000 attendees, including one third of the graduating students and some faculty, silently stood and turned their backs to Schlafly in protest.[59] In the days leading up to the commencement there were several protests regarding her degree award; Schlafly described these protesters as "a bunch of losers."[53] In addition, she stated after the ceremony that the protesters were "juvenile" and that, "I'm not sure they're mature enough to graduate."[59] As planned, Schlafly did not give any speech during the commencement ceremony, nor did any of the other honorees except for commencement speaker Chris Matthews.[60]

Published works

Schlafly is the author of 21 books on subjects ranging from child care to phonics education. She writes a syndicated weekly newspaper column for Creators Syndicate.[61][62]

Schlafly's published works include:

See also


References

  1. ↑ "Phyllis Schlafly". UXL Newsmakers (FindArticles.com). 2005. Retrieved August 9, 2008. 
  2. ↑ Bobbie Johnson, technology correspondent (March 1, 2007). "Rightwing website challenges 'liberal bias' of Wikipedia | Technology | guardian.co.uk". Guardian. Retrieved June 2, 2013. 
  3. ↑ Chip Berlet and Matthew N. Lyons. 2000. Right–Wing Populism in America: Too Close for Comfort. New York: Guilford Press, p. 202.
  4. ↑ profile of Andrew F. Stewart, in Men of West Virginia, Biographical Publishing Co., Chicago: 1903. pp. 157–158.
  5. ↑ 1902–03 City Directory, Huntington, WV and 1910 Federal Census (Virginia), Alleghany County, Clifton Forge, ED126, Sheet 9A and note 1.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Critchlow, Donald. "Founding Mother-Phyllis Schlafly and Grassroots Conservatism: A Woman's Crusade." Princeton University Press. pp. 422
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Felsenthal biography
  8. ↑ 1919 Gould’s St. Louis City Directory
  9. ↑ 1870 Federal Census ( Illinois) Clinton Co. Carlyle, Series: M593 Roll: 196 Page: 265
  10. ↑ The 1881 History of Marion & Clinton Counties, Illinois
  11. ↑ Critchlow 2005, pp. 31–33.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Abraham, Yvonne (September 2, 2004). "At 80, Schlafly is still a conservative force – The Boston Globe". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on May 22, 2009. 
  13. ↑ The gay vice squad – QW's outing article about homosexuality of John Schlafly, son of pro-life advocate Phyllis Schlafly – Editorial
  14. ↑ Blumenfeld, Laura (September 19, 1992). "Schlafly's Son, Out of the Closet; Homosexual Backs Mother's Views, Attacks `Screechy Gay Activists'". Washington Post. 
  15. ↑ Johnson, Bobbie (March 1, 2007). "Rightwing website challenges 'liberal bias' of Wikipedia". The Guardian (London). 
  16. ↑
  17. ↑ Daum, Meghan (March 31, 2011). "Phyllis Schlafly: back on the attack". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 27, 2012. 
  18. ↑ Ehrenreich, pp. 152–153
  19. ↑ Critchlow, pp. 25–29.
  20. ↑ Critchlow 2005, pp. 47–59.
  21. ↑ Critchlow 2005, p. 55.
  22. ↑ Critchlow 2005, p. 46.
  23. ↑ Warner, Judith. She Changed America, New York Times, January 29, 2006.
  24. ↑ Berlet and Lyons. 2000. Right–Wing Populism in America, pp. 180, 202.
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 "Nation: Anti-ERA Evangelist Wins Again". Time. July 3, 1978. Archived from the original on January 21, 2011. 
  26. ↑ Donald T. Critchlow, Phyllis Schlafly and Grassroots Conservatism (Princeton University Press, 2005), p. 138-159.
  27. ↑ Kolbert, Elizabeth (November 7, 2005), "Firebrand: Phyllis Schlafly and the Conservative Revolution", The New Yorker 81 (34): 134 
  28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 Eilperin, Juliet. "New Drive Afoot to Pass Equal Rights Amendment". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 22, 2010. 
  29. ↑ History
  30. ↑ Homemakers Equal Rights Association (HERA) Records, 1971–1984, n.d. Women & Leadership Archives, Loyola University Chicago
  31. ↑ Gloria Steinem: If Bush Wins in 2004, "Abortion Will Be Criminalized" – A BuzzFlash Interview
  32. ↑ Pia de Solenni on Phyllis Schlafly & Feminist Fantasies on National Review Online
  33. ↑ "Phyllis Schlafly bio". Eagle Forum. Retrieved February 4, 2012. 
  34. ↑ "Anti-ERA Evangelist Wins Again". Time. July 3, 1978. Archived from the original on January 21, 2011. 
  35. ↑ Leonard, J.T. (March 29, 2007). "Schlafly cranks up agitation at Bates". Sun Journal. Retrieved December 28, 2010. 
  36. ↑ Bellafante, Ginia (March 30, 2006). "A Feminine Mystique All Her Own". The New York Times. Retrieved January 31, 2008. 
  37. ↑ "Anniversary: Roe v. Wade". The Washington Post. January 18, 2002. Archived from the original on June 10, 2011. 
  38. ↑ Donald T. Critchlow, Phyllis Schlafly and Grassroots Conservatism, 2005, pp. 298–299
  39. ↑ Donald T. Critchlow, Phyllis Schlafly and Grassroots Conservatism, 2005, p. 298
  40. ↑ Bennett, Drake (November 25, 2007). "The amero conspiracy". The Boston Globe. Retrieved February 20, 2009. 
  41. ↑ Phyllis Schlafly, "Communist Master Plan for 1961", Cardinal Mindszenty Newsletter, February 15, 1961
  42. ↑ Dana Milbank, "And the Verdict on Justice Kennedy Is: Guilty", Washington Post, April 9, 2005, p. A03.
  43. ↑ "Schlafly: Obama Would Be Foolish to Leave Supreme Court Without a Veteran – WASHINGTON, April 9 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/". Prnewswire.com. Retrieved June 2, 2013. 
  44. ↑ Leith, Sam (January 17–18, 2009). "Obama's Oratory". Financial Times. Archived from the original on January 8, 2010. 
  45. ↑ "Phyllis Schlafly Speaks Out, 5-15-08". YouTube. Retrieved June 2, 2013. 
  46. ↑ Jacobs, Jennifer (December 4, 2011). "Conservative activist Phyllis Schlafly endorses Michele Bachmann". The Des Moines Register. Retrieved December 6, 2011. 
  47. ↑ Pema Levy 8:43 PM EST, Friday February 3, 2012 (February 3, 2012). "Phyllis Schlafly Will Vote For Santorum | TPM LiveWire". Livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com. Retrieved June 2, 2013. 
  48. ↑ Schlafly, Phyllis (November 2009). "Feminists Psychoanalyze Themselves Again". The Phyllis Schlafly Report. Eagle Forum. Retrieved November 23, 2010. 
  49. ↑ Schlafly, Phyllis (September 1986). "A Short History of E.R.A". The Phyllis Schlafly Report. Eagle Forum. Retrieved November 23, 2010. 
  50. ↑ Sachs, Andrea (April 7, 2009). "Phyllis Schlafly at 84". Time. Retrieved November 23, 2010. 
  51. ↑ Phyllis Schlafly Tells Republicans To Ignore Hispanic Voters, Focus On White People (VIDEO), Meredith Bennett-Smith, Huffington Post, May 30, 2013
  52. ↑ Phyllis Schlafly's White Voter Mirage, Jordan Fabian, ABC News/Univision, May 29, 2013
  53. ↑ 53.0 53.1 "Wash-U chancellor apologizes for controversy, but Schlafly will still get honorary degree". Associated Press. May 15, 2008. Archived from the original on May 19, 2008. 
  54. ↑ "Phyllis Schlafly Hon. Degree Sparks Wash U Spat, Law Prof Protest". UPI. Retrieved July 25, 2008. 
  55. ↑ "Students, faculty protest Schlafly honor". UPI. Retrieved May 16, 2008. 
  56. ↑ Brian Leiter's Law School Reports: Wash U Alumni Create Website to Oppose Award of Honorary Degree to Schafly
  57. ↑ Pollitt, Katha (May 8, 2008). "Backlash Spectacular". The nation. Retrieved February 20, 2009. 
  58. ↑ "Statement on Phyllis Schlafly's honorary degree". Retrieved May 14, 2008. 
  59. ↑ 59.0 59.1 May 17, 2008 (May 17, 2008). "Schlafly Honor Protested". Outsidethebeltway.com. Retrieved June 2, 2013. 
  60. ↑ "Students, faculty protest Schlafly honor". UPI. May 16, 2008. 
  61. ↑ "Gang of Eight Increases Unemployment by Phyllis Schlafly on Creators.com – A Syndicate of Talent". Creators.com. Retrieved June 2, 2013. 
  62. ↑ Schlafly, Phyllis (August 26, 2006). "What is Left? What is Right? Does it Matter?". The American Conservative. Retrieved March 30, 2007. 

Sources

  • Critchlow, Donald T. Phyllis Schlafly and Grassroots Conservatism: A Woman's Crusade Princeton University Press, 2005. 422 pp. ISBN 0-691-07002-4.
  • Ehrenreich, Barbara. 1983. The Hearts of Men: American Dreams and the Flight from Commitment New York: Anchor Books, an attack from the left
  • Felsenthal, Carol. The Biography of Phyllis Schlafly: The Sweetheart of the Silent Majority Doubleday & Co., 1981. 337pp. ISBN 0-89526-873-6.

Further reading

External links

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