Timeline: Key dates in the century-long battle over the Equal Rights Amendment

The struggle over the Equal Rights Amendment started more than a century ago when leading suffragist Alice Paul first proposed it shortly after the ratification of the 19th Amendment, which granted women the right to vote. The ERA, if formally recognized as the 28th Amendment, would make gender equality explicit under the Constitution.

President Joe Biden on Friday declared that the ERA should be considered a ratified addition to the Constitution. His announcement was symbolic, as the National Archives has declined to certify the amendment, noting it was passed with a ratification deadline that wasn’t met.

Here are some key dates in the history of the effort to enact the Equal Rights Amendment:

Dec. 10, 1923

The first draft of the ERA, written by Paul, is introduced in Congress by Sen. Charles Curtis, a Kansas Republican. Paul’s original amendment text stated: “Men and women shall have equal rights throughout the United States and every place subject to its jurisdiction. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.”

FILE – Alice Paul, seated second from left, sews the 36th star on a banner, celebrating the ratification of the women’s suffrage amendment in August 1920. The 36th star represented Tennessee, whose ratification completed the number of states needed to put the amendment in the Constitution. (AP Photo, File)

March 22, 1972

The Senate joins the House in passing an amended version of the ERA with a seven-year deadline for states to ratify it. It states: “Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.” Hawaii quickly becomes the first state to ratify.

Oct. 6, 1978

The Senate joins the House in approving an extension of the deadline for state ratification of the ERA to June 30, 1982.

June 30, 1982

FILE – In this Aug. 19, 1920 photo made available by the Library of Congress, Alice Paul, chair of the National Woman’s Party, unfurls a banner after the ratification of the 19th Ammendment, from a balcony at the NWP’s headquarters in Washington. (The Crowley Company/Library of Congress via AP, File)

The congressionally imposed deadline for ratification passes with three states short of the 38 needed for the ERA to become the law of the land.

Jan. 8, 2020

The Justice Department finds that it’s too late for additional states to ratify the ERA because of the two expired deadlines imposed by Congress.

Jan. 27, 2020

Virginia becomes the critical 38th state to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment.

FILE – Leading supporters of the Equal Rights Amendment march in Washington, July 9, 1978, urging Congress to extend the time for ratification of the ERA. From left are: Gloria Steinem; Dick Gregory; Betty Friedan; Rep. Elizabeth Holtzman, D-N.Y. (partially obscured); Rep. Barbara Mikulski, D-Md.; and Rep. Margaret Heckler, R-Mass. The women at far left and right are unidentified. (AP Photo/Dennis Cook, File)

Feb. 10, 2020

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg says those like her who support the ERA should start over in trying to get it passed rather than trying to revive the failed attempt from the 1970s.

Feb. 13, 2020

In a 232-183 vote, the House approves a measure removing a 1982 deadline for state ratification in a bid to revive the Equal Rights Amendment.

Feb. 28, 2023

FILE – Gloria Steinem, left, and presidential assistant Midge Costanza laugh during a meeting of the House Judiciary Committee in Washington, July 18, 1978. The panel voted in favor of a time extension for ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment. (AP Photo/John Duricka, File)

A federal appeals court in Washington dismisses a case brought by two Democratic-led states seeking to have the U.S. archivist publish and certify the ERA as part of the Constitution.

April 27, 2023

Senate Republicans block a Democratic measure to remove the 1982 deadline for state ratification and move forward with the ERA.

Dec. 17, 2024

The archivist and deputy archivist of the United States issue a rare joint statement that ERA cannot be certified without further action by Congress or the courts.