Divided We Stand: The Battle Over Women's Rights and Family Values that Polarized American Politics

Spruill, Marjorie J.

ISBN 10: 1632863146 / ISBN 13: 9781632863140

Published by Bloomsbury Press, 2017

About this Item

THERE IS A BLACK "CLOSEOUT/REMAINDER" MARK ON THE TOP PAGE EDGES. Gloria Steinem was quoted in 2015 (in the New Yorker) as saying the National Women's Conference in 1977 "may take the prize as the most important event nobody knows about." After the United Nations established International Women's Year (IWY) in 1975, Congress mandated and funded state conferences to elect delegates to attend the National Women's Conference in Houston in 1977, where Bella Abzug, Gloria Steinem, and other feminists endorsed a platform supporting abortion rights, the Equal Rights Amendment, and gay rights. Across town, Phyllis Schlafly, Lottie Beth Hobbs, and the conservative women's movement held a massive rally to protest federally funded feminism and launch a pro-family movement. DIVIDED WE STAND explores the role social issues have played in politics by reprising the battle between feminists and their conservative challengers, leading to Democrats supporting women's rights and Republicans casting themselves as the party of family values. As the 2016 presidential election made clear, the women's rights movement and the conservative women's movement have irrevocably affected the course of modern American politics. We cannot fully understand the present without appreciating the pivotal events that transpired in Houston and immediately thereafter. THERE IS A BLACK "CLOSEOUT/REMAINDER" MARK ON THE TOP PAGE EDGES.

Seller Inventory # 001142

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Divided We Stand: The Battle Over Women's Rights and Family Values that Polarized American Politics
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Press
• Publication Date: 2017
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1632863146
• ISBN 13: 9781632863140
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: 1st Edition
• Printing: 2nd Printing
• Condition: New
• Dust Jacket Condition: New
• Seller catalogs:
  • History: United States
  • Women's Studies

About this title

Synopsis

More than forty years ago, two women's movements drew a line in the sand between liberals and conservatives. The far-reaching legacy of that rift is still felt today.

One of Smithsonian Magazine's “Ten Best History Books of the Year”

Gloria Steinem was quoted in 2015 (the New Yorker) as saying the National Women's Conference in 1977 "may take the prize as the most important event nobody knows about." After the United Nations established International Women's Year (IWY) in 1975, Congress mandated and funded state conferences to elect delegates to attend the National Women's Conference in Houston in 1977. At that conference, Bella Abzug, Steinem, and other feminists adopted a National Plan of Action, endorsing the hot-button issues of abortion rights, the Equal Rights Amendment, and gay rights--the latter a new issue in national politics. Across town, Phyllis Schlafly, Lottie Beth Hobbs, and the conservative women's movement held a massive rally to protest federally funded feminism and launch a Pro-Family movement.

Although much has been written about the role that social issues have played in politics, little attention has been given to the historical impact of women activists on both sides. DIVIDED WE STAND reveals how the battle between feminists and their conservative challengers divided the nation as Democrats continued to support women's rights and Republicans cast themselves as the party of family values.

The women's rights movement and the conservative women's movement have irrevocably affected the course of modern American history. We cannot fully understand the present without appreciating the events leading up to Houston and thereafter.

About the Author

Marjorie J. Spruill is Distinguished Professor Emerita of History from the University of South Carolina. She is the author of New Women of the New South and the editor of numerous anthologies including One Woman, One Vote. Spruill’s research for Divided We Stand was supported by fellowships from the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University, the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, and the National Endowment for the Humanities. She lives in South Carolina.