Advocates march in October 1917, displaying placards containing the signatures of more than one million New York women demanding the vote.
The New York Times Photo Archives
The 19th amendment to the US Constitution was originally proposed in 1923. It says: “Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex.” Nearly 100 years later, the Equal Rights Amendment – ERA, for short – still hasn’t been ratified. It was passed by both the House and Senate in 1972. But before an amendment can be added to the Constitution, at least 38 states have to approve it. In May 2018, Illinois became the 37th state to sign off on the ERA.
