New FX Series ‘Mrs. America’ Puts Illinois’ Phyllis Schlafly Front and Center
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It’s been decades since conservative activist Phyllis Schlafly helped defeat the Equal Rights Amendment in Illinois. Now she’s the subject of a new TV series from FX. We explore what’s fact and fiction with two Illinois reporters.
Cate Blanchett plays Phyllis Schlafly- the conservative activist from Alton, Illinois- in the new FX miniseries, Mrs. America.
The series begins in 1972, as the National Women’s Political Caucus celebrates the U.S. Senate’s passing of the E.R.A. At the same time, the savvy Schlafly is finding her political voice by rallying millions of women against the Equal Rights Amendment.
More than four decades later and four years after her death, Phyllis Schlafly might not be a household name as it once was, but her legacy on both Illinois and national politics can still be felt.
Guests: Rachel Otwell, wrote about the series for the Illinois Times.Ted McClelland also penned a piece about Mrs. America for Chicago Magazine.