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At the time of her death in 2016, The New York Times called conservative commentator Phyllis Schlafly "the first lady of a political march to the right." Now, her story is being told in Mrs. America, a Hulu drama starring Oscar-winning actor Cate Blanchett as the woman who came into prominence after protesting against the Equal Rights Amendment.
Speaking of the character to Collider, Blanchett said of Schlafly, "She was a contemporary woman who really changed the course of the American political landscape, and I think she did that by shifting the language.
"She really did move the notion of anti-abortion, which then became pro-life, as the central platform of the Republican party, and conflated that with being pro-American and pro-family, and characterized the feminist movement as being anti-family.
"So, the language and the rhetoric that she employed, during the course of the campaign to defeat the Equal Rights Amendment has had a profound influence in the way the Republican party not only talks to the American populace, but talks to itself about what it stands for."
Schlafly was born Phyllis Stewart in St. Louis, the daughter of a mother who had to work after her father lost his job in the Great Depression. Schlafly studied political science at Washington University before doing a masters in government at Radcliffe University. Before marrying the lawyer John Schlafly (known by his middle name Fred in Mrs. America) and having six children, she worked at a conservative think tank and as a research librarian.
She ran unsuccessfully for Congress in 1952, but stayed in politics, forming the Illinois Federation of Republican Women in 1960.
Her rise to prominence began in 1964 when she published A Choice Not An Echo, a book that sold three million copies and helped Barry Goldwater become the 1964 Republican presidential nominee.
Capitalizing on this publishing success, she began releasing a conservative newsletter. In a 1972 issue of The Phyllis Schlafly Report, she came out against the Equal Rights Amendment.
As seen in Mrs. America, her main arguments against this legislation is that it would lead to equality in all matters, including making women eligible for the draft and forcing women to work outside the home.
To fight against the amendment, she formed Stop ERA, which then became the group Eagle Forum, a conservative interest group that still exists today.
Her family values arguments lead her to protest against a number of other political causes, including abortions and LGBTQ+ rights. Her views led to her being five a newspaper column and weekly radio show at the height of her popularity.
Her campaigning and speech-giving continued until 2016, when she died of cancer at the age of 92.
Mrs. America is streaming now on Hulu.
