Why was the Equal Rights Amendment not added to the Constitution after its approval in 1972?

• A. It was signed by the President
• B. It lacked sufficient congressional votes
• C. It was not ratified by the states
• D. It was ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court

Answer: (C)

The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) was proposed to affirm that equal rights cannot be denied based on sex and was passed by Congress in 1972. However, for an amendment to become part of the Constitution, it must be ratified by three-fourths of the states. Despite initial momentum, the ERA ultimately faced challenges during the ratification process.

The amendment was not ratified by enough states before the deadline set by Congress, which led to its failure to be added to the Constitution. This situation illustrates the importance of state-level approval in the amendment process, highlighting that even when Congress supports an amendment, it still relies heavily on state legislatures for final adoption.