Phyllis Schlafly Biography Quotes 37 Report mistakes

Early Life and Education
Phyllis McAlpin Stewart Schlafly was born on August 15, 1924, in St. Louis, Missouri, and came of age during the Great Depression. The economic strains her family experienced shaped a lifelong emphasis on thrift, self-reliance, and patriotic duty. A gifted student, she worked nights at the St. Louis Ordnance Plant testing ammunition to pay for college while carrying a heavy academic load during the day. She graduated from Washington University in St. Louis and went on to earn a master's degree in government from Radcliffe College, then the women's coordinate college for Harvard, an achievement that anchored her reputation as both intellectually ambitious and fiercely disciplined.

Entry into Politics and Writing
Schlafly's early political engagement grew out of grassroots Republican activism in the Midwest. She ran for Congress in the early 1950s and, although unsuccessful, gained practical experience in campaigning and coalition building. Throughout the 1950s and 1960s she wrote newsletters and policy analyses that circulated widely among conservative volunteers. Her 1964 book A Choice Not an Echo, a sharp critique of kingmaking and moderation inside the Republican Party, sold in the millions, becoming a handbook for backers of Barry Goldwater and introducing her as a formidable voice for insurgent conservatism.

Anti-Communism and Strategic Debates
At the height of the Cold War, Schlafly aligned herself with military and strategic hawks. She co-authored works with retired Rear Admiral Chester Ward that questioned prevailing arms-control orthodoxy and criticized the direction of U.S. foreign policy. These collaborations emphasized her analytical style: a blend of constitutionalism, national sovereignty, and distrust of elite consensus, which later informed her stances on international agreements and judicial power.

Rise to National Prominence
By the early 1970s, Schlafly had become a fixture on television and radio debates, squaring off against leading feminists such as Betty Friedan and Gloria Steinem. She argued that many feminist policy goals undervalued the work of homemakers and threatened distinctions in law she believed protected women. A skilled debater, she translated complex legal issues into vivid, memorable rhetoric, sharpening a contrast that helped define the era's culture wars.

STOP ERA and the Culture Wars
Schlafly's leadership of the STOP ERA campaign made her a household name. Beginning in 1972, she organized a nationwide network that lobbied state legislatures not to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment. STOP stood for Stop Taking Our Privileges, a slogan encapsulating her claim that the ERA would erase beneficial legal differences between men and women, affect alimony and child-custody standards, and subject women to the military draft. She mobilized church groups, parent-teacher networks, and community clubs, famously turning homemaker identity into political capital with grassroots tactics as simple as bringing homemade bread and persuasive literature to statehouses. Despite initial momentum for ratification, the ERA fell short by the extended deadline in 1982, and Schlafly's role in that outcome marked one of the most consequential citizen-led campaigns of the twentieth century.

Organizing and the Eagle Forum
To sustain her national operation, Schlafly built institutions. She launched a long-running monthly newsletter, the Phyllis Schlafly Report, and developed a sophisticated network of local leaders. In the mid-1970s she established the Eagle Forum to train volunteers, track legislation, and articulate positions on education, family policy, and national sovereignty. The organization functioned as a clearinghouse for conservative women nationwide and as a farm team for activists who would later influence school boards, statehouses, and party platforms.

Influence in the Republican Party
Schlafly's relationship with the Republican Party evolved from insurgency to influence. Having championed Barry Goldwater in 1964, she became a vocal ally of Ronald Reagan's ascendant conservatism by the late 1970s. She worked to secure a pro-life plank in the Republican platform and argued for judges who would practice restraint and adhere to originalist interpretations of the Constitution. While not an elected official, she was a persistent presence at conventions and strategy sessions, lacing her commentary with procedural know-how that made her advice valuable to candidates and delegates alike.

Legal Education and Media Presence
In midlife Schlafly returned to school for a law degree from Washington University in St. Louis, augmenting her advocacy with formal legal training. She hosted radio commentaries and appeared frequently on national talk shows, where her sparring with critics sharpened her public profile. Whether discussing school curricula, the role of the courts, or missile defense, she translated conservative theory into accessible talking points that her followers could carry into local politics.

Personal Life
In 1949 she married attorney John Fred Schlafly Jr., widely known as Fred Schlafly, and the couple made their home in the St. Louis region. They had six children. Several became public figures in their own right, including John Schlafly, an attorney and writer, and Andrew Schlafly, known for founding Conservapedia. Balancing a demanding travel schedule with family life, she frequently cited her domestic responsibilities as evidence that women could lead in civic life without abandoning traditional roles, a claim that both galvanized supporters and provoked criticism.

Later Years and Final Publications
Schlafly continued writing and organizing into her nineties. She opposed same-sex marriage, criticized judicial activism, and defended national sovereignty in trade and treaty debates. In 2016 she endorsed Donald Trump during the Republican primaries, a move that reflected her continued appetite for insurgent politics. She co-authored The Conservative Case for Trump with Ed Martin and Brett Decker, aligning her final book with an evolving populist wing of the GOP. She died on September 5, 2016, at the age of 92.

Legacy and Assessment
Phyllis Schlafly's legacy rests on her ability to connect constitutional argument, Cold War hawkishness, and traditionalist social views to an immense volunteer corps. Admirers credit her with helping defeat the ERA, shaping the Republican platform on life and family issues, and training generations of conservative activists through the Eagle Forum's networks. Critics argue that her campaigns slowed gender equality in law and reinforced stereotypes about women's roles. Yet across decades, from Barry Goldwater to Ronald Reagan to Donald Trump, she showed a unique capacity to sense shifts in the party's grassroots and to translate them into coherent goals. Her influence endures in the institutional infrastructure she built, the cadre of activists she trained, and the durable frame she gave to American social conservatism.

Our collection contains 37 quotes who is written by Phyllis, under the main topics: Truth - Justice - Learning - Freedom - Parenting.