decades, some feminists had said the solution was an equal rights amendment to the Constitution, which would read, “Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex.” This amendment, known as the ERA, had been introduced in every session of Congress since 1923, but each time it had been held up in committee. RBG wondered whether the Constitution already held the answer. Its preamble began with “We the people,” and women were people, even if they had been long prevented from living out their full destinies. Didn’t women
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