'Mrs America' is about the who's who of the '70s feminist movement: Here are some of the important faces
FX's biographical miniseries 'Mrs America’ tells the tale of the Equal Rights Amendment and the stiff opposition it faced from conservatives who ultimately succeeded to not get it ratified. The show’s ensemble cast that includes the likes of Cate Blanchett, Rose Byrne, Margo Martindale, Uzo Aduba, Elizabeth Banks and more, however, is matched only by the fame of the people they portray on the show.
So, let’s take a look at the key players of the second-wave feminist movement and it’s opposition.
Cate Blanchett as Phyllis Schlafly
Blanchett plays the eponymous Mrs America, Phylis Schlafly. A mother of six, the wife of a conservative lawyer from Illinois, an editor and author of several books, she was a powerful pro-life, anti-choice, anti-communist and anti-feminist voice that no one saw coming, least of all the feminist movement.
In the ‘70s, Schlafly started a movement against the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment by organizing the “STOP ERA” campaign. So staunch were Schlafly’s beliefs and views that she was famously known as “the first lady of the conservative movement”. Schlafly died in 2016 at the age of 92.
Rose Byrne as Gloria Steinem
Steinem’s name is undoubtedly one of the most famous ones in the show. A journalist, author and women’s rights activist, Steinem has been globally recognized as one of the leading faces of the second-wave feminist movement in the ‘70s. Steinem gained national fame in 1963 when she went undercover as a Playboy Bunny and exposed sexist working conditions of the Playboy Club.
Steinem became one of New York Magazine's first columnists and later co-founded Ms. magazine with Black activist Dorothy Pitman Hughes. In 1971, she and many other women founded the National Women's Political Caucus (NWPC) in an effort to start a revolution. She was one of Schlafly’s primary opponents.
Uzo Aduba as Shirley Chisholm
Shirley Chisholm was a woman of many firsts. An educator, Chisholm would become the first black woman elected to the United States Congress, serving seven terms for New York's 12th congressional district.
She also ran for President of the United States in 1972 and marked the first time a woman ran for the Democratic Party's candidate. She once famously said, “I want to be remembered as a woman… who dared to be a catalyst of change.”
Chisholm, who was also known as “Fighting Shirley”, introduced more than 50 pieces of legislation while in Congress, championing racial and gender equality. She also served as a founding member of the NWPC alongside Steinem. Chisholm died in 2005.
Margo Martindale as Bella Abzug
Bella Abzug was fondly known as “Battling Bella”. She was a three-time member of the US House of Representatives from New York. “This woman's place is in the House — the House of Representatives,” was her famous slogan that continues to be a widely popular call even today.
While in office, Abzug lobbied against the Vietnam War and also introduced the first federal gay rights bill. She also co-founded the NWPC with Chisholm, Steinem and others. Abzug died in 1998.
Tracey Ullman as Betty Friedan
The American feminist writer and activist was a leading figure in the women's rights movement in the United States. Her 1963 book ‘The Feminine Mystique’ is often credited with sparking the second wave of American feminism in the 20th century. As a supporter of the Equal Rights Amendment, Friedan joined fellow feminists in creating NWPC.
During a debate at Indiana University in 1977, Friedan told Schlafly she should burn at the stake for opposing the Equal Rights Amendment.