Eagle Forum

Last updated
Eagle Forum
Formation1972;52 years ago (1972)
Founder Phyllis Schlafly
Headquarters Alton, Illinois; Washington, D.C.
President
Kris Ullman
Revenue (2023)
$239,244 [1]
Expenses (2023)$332,333 [1]
Website https://eagleforum.org/

Eagle Forum is a conservative advocacy group in the United States founded by Phyllis Schlafly in 1972. Focused on social issues, it is socially conservative [2] and describes itself as pro-family. [3] Critics have described it as anti-feminist, anti-LGBT, ultraconservative, and far-right. A 501(c)(4) organization, it is affiliated with the Eagle Forum Education and Legal Defense Fund, which is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and the Eagle Forum Political Action Committee (PAC). [4] It organizes the Eagle Council, an annual training for conservative speakers. [5]

Contents

After Eagle Forum endorsed Ted Cruz in the 2016 election, board members who supported the Donald Trump 2016 presidential campaign left the organization and founded Phyllis Schlafly Eagles, [6] [7] a 501(c)(4), and Phyllis Schlafly's Eagle PAC.

History

Advocacy against Equal Rights Amendment

In 1967, Phyllis Schlafly launched the Eagle Trust Fund for receiving donations related to conservative causes. [4] After the 1972 proposal of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), Schlafly reorganized her efforts to defeat its ratification, founding the group "Stop ERA" [8] and starting the Eagle Forum Newsletter. In 1975 Stop ERA was renamed the Eagle Forum. [8]

The Eagle Forum was part of the New Right in the 1970s, which emphasized social issues important to the Christian right in the conservative movement. [9] A similar group, Concerned Women for America, formed in 1979, and both grew after the election of Ronald Reagan in 1981. [10]

The Eagle Forum Education and Legal Defense Fund was organized in 1981 as a non-profit wing of Eagle Forum. [11] It is a tax deductible charity under Internal Revenue Service (IRS) code.

Post-ERA

Since at least 1994, the Eagle Forum PAC has endorsed and donated money to right-wing candidates. [12]

In the mid-2000s, Eagle Forum, along with the John Birch Society, mobilized conservative opposition to a so-called North American Union and the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America. As a result of two organizations' activities, 23 state legislatures saw bills introduced condemning an NAU while the Bush and Obama administrations were deterred “from any grand initiatives.” [13]

Eagle Forum members have often worked within the Republican Party. The Texas state Eagle Forum chairperson, Cathie Adams was named Republican national committeewoman from Texas at the state convention in 2008 and then in October 2009 was chosen as interim chairperson of the Republican Party of Texas.

Split

Disputes among Eagle Forum leaders, including some of Schlafly's children, resulted in court battles starting in 2016. [14] [15] Board members who supported the Donald Trump 2016 presidential campaign left the organization and founded Phyllis Schlafly Eagles, a different 501(c)(4) organization. [6] [7] Phyllis Schlafly Eagles also established a political action committee, Phyllis Schlafly's Eagle PAC. [16]

Leaders of the organizations sued each other over use of organizational mailing lists, use of Schlafly's name and image, and related issues. [17] [18] In 2017, Eagle Forum declared that Ed Martin, John Schlafly, Andy Schlafly, and Kathleen Sullivan no longer have any connection to Eagle Forum. [19]

Post-split

Ed Martin, president of the Phyllis Schlafly Eagles and the Eagle Forum Education & Legal Defense Fund, served as the Republican National Committee deputy platform policy director in 2024. [20] [21]

Project 2025 lists Eagle Forum as an advisory board member. [21]

Political and social positions

The Eagle Forum is involved in conservative issues. According to the organization's website, it supports "individual liberty, respect for family integrity, public and private virtue, and private enterprise." Its stated goals are: supporting American sovereignty, supporting American identity, supporting the Constitution, exposing radical feminists, and supporting a traditional education. [22]

The organization advocates for border security and against international oversight from the United Nations and the International Criminal Court. In 2006, Eagle Forum began preparations to fight the supposed introduction of the Amero Northern American currency. [23]

The Eagle Forum supports English-only education in schools. It opposes federal support for daycare and sex education. [5]

Schlafly described the Eagle Forum as an alternative to women's liberation. [24] It is opposed to a number of feminist issues, which founder Phyllis Schlafly claimed were "extremely destructive" and "poisoned the attitudes of many young women." The organization believes only in a family consisting of a father, mother and children. They are supportive of women's right to choose to be "fulltime homemakers", [25] and oppose same-sex marriage. Eagle Forum is anti-abortion. [26] It has defended the push for government defunding of Planned Parenthood. [27]

Opposition to the ERA

Symbol used for signs and buttons by ERA opponents STOP ERA.gif
Symbol used for signs and buttons by ERA opponents

After gaining publicity for her book, A Choice, Not an Echo , Phyllis Schlafly began her fight against the ratification of the proposed Equal Rights Amendment (ERA). The ERA had passed in the United States House of Representatives by a vote of 354 to 23. Five months later, the amendment passed in the Senate with a vote of 84 to 8, and 7 members abstaining. In order to be adopted into the Constitution, the amendment had to be ratified by three-fourths (38) of the states. Schlafly then reorganized her efforts to defeat its ratification, founding the group "STOP ERA" and starting the Eagle Forum Newsletter. STOP ERA was established in the fall of 1972 an organization dedicated to the defeat of the Equal Rights Amendment. The group's name is an acronym for the phrase "Stop Taking Our Privileges". [28]

In one issue of the Eagle Forum Newsletter, titled "Whats Wrong With Equal Rights for Women", Schlafly argued against the ratification of the ERA on the basis that it would take rights and protections away from women. According to Schlafly, the passage of the ERA could "mean Government-funded abortions, homosexual schoolteachers, women forced into military combat and men refusing to support their wives." The newsletter began to circulate, and many conservative women wrote to their legislators, relaying the concerns voiced by Schlafly in the Eagle Forum Newsletter. [29] Support for The Eagle Forum grew with the support of many conservative women and various church groups, as did the opposition to the ERA. Many of the same women who had helped Schlafly distribute her book were involved with STOP ERA. Less than a year after its creation, STOP ERA had grown to several thousand members. [28]

State legislators were able to vote on the ERA beginning in March 1972 and were given a deadline in 1979. Within a year, thirty states had ratified the ERA, and the amendment needed only eight more states to pass. In 1977, STOP ERA protested the Equal Rights Amendment at the 1977 National Women's Conference in Houston, Texas. STOP ERA claimed that the national plan of action that was proposed at the conference was “anti-family". At the conference, Phyllis Schlafly teamed up with Indiana State Senator Joan Gubbins to form a "pro-life, pro-family" coalition to voice the conservative opposition to the ERA. [30] Schlafly also testified against the potentially harmful effects of the ERA before Georgia, Virginia, Missouri, and Arkansas legislatures. STOP ERA's tactics were successful; by the 1979 deadline the amendment still needed three states to pass. The ERA was then given a three-year extension, during which no states ratified or rescinded the amendment. By the time of the ERA's defeat, the Eagle Forum had reached 50,000 members. [28]

Since its initial defeat, the Equal Rights Amendment has been revisited by legislators, such as Carolyn Maloney. [31] In March 2021, a United States Federal court ruled that the window of time to ratify the ERA had expired and recent efforts by Nevada, Illinois and Virginia to support ratification are "too late to count". [32]

Programs and activities

The Forum has a "Teen Eagles" program for children ages 13–19, and "Eagle Forum Collegians" for conservative-minded college students. [5] Phyllis Schlafly's son, Andrew Schlafly, started Conservapedia, a wiki-based encyclopedia project, with students from an "Eagle Forum University" project. [33]

There are also state chapters of the Eagle Forum, such as the Utah Eagle Forum led by Gayle Ruzicka. [34] [35]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution</span> 1920 amendment mandating womens suffrage

The Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution prohibits the United States and its states from denying the right to vote to citizens of the United States on the basis of sex, in effect recognizing the right of women to vote. The amendment was the culmination of a decades-long movement for women's suffrage in the United States, at both the state and national levels, and was part of the worldwide movement towards women's suffrage and part of the wider women's rights movement. The first women's suffrage amendment was introduced in Congress in 1878. However, a suffrage amendment did not pass the House of Representatives until May 21, 1919, which was quickly followed by the Senate, on June 4, 1919. It was then submitted to the states for ratification, achieving the requisite 36 ratifications to secure adoption, and thereby went into effect, on August 18, 1920. The Nineteenth Amendment's adoption was certified on August 26, 1920.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Equal Rights Amendment</span> Proposed amendment to the U.S. Constitution

The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) is a proposed amendment to the U.S. Constitution that would, if added, explicitly prohibit sex discrimination. It was written by Alice Paul and Crystal Eastman and introduced in Congress in December 1923 as a proposed amendment to the United States Constitution. The purpose of the ERA is to guarantee equal legal rights for all American citizens regardless of sex. Proponents assert it would end legal distinctions between men and women in matters of divorce, property, employment, and other matters. Opponents originally argued it would remove protections that women needed. In the 21st century, opponents argue it is no longer needed and some disapprove of its potential effects on abortion and transgender rights.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Concerned Women for America</span> Socially conservative Christian American nonprofit womens activist group

Concerned Women for America (CWA) is a socially conservative, evangelical Christian non-profit women's legislative action committee in the United States. Headquartered in Washington D.C., the CWA is involved in social and political movements, through which it aims to incorporate Christian ideology. The group was founded in San Diego, California in 1978 by Beverly LaHaye, whose husband Timothy LaHaye was an evangelical Christian minister and author of The Battle for the Mind, as well as coauthor of the Left Behind series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phyllis Schlafly</span> American activist (1924–2016)

Phyllis Stewart Schlafly was an American attorney, conservative activist, and anti-feminist who was nationally prominent in conservatism. She held paleoconservative social and political views, opposed feminism, gay rights, and abortion, and successfully campaigned against ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

REAL Women of Canada is a socially conservative advocacy group in Canada. The organization was founded in 1983.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Woman's Party</span> American political party (1916–2021)

The National Woman's Party (NWP) was an American women's political organization formed in 1916 to fight for women's suffrage. After achieving this goal with the 1920 adoption of the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, the NWP advocated for other issues including the Equal Rights Amendment. The most prominent leader of the National Woman's Party was Alice Paul, and its most notable event was the 1917–1919 Silent Sentinels vigil outside the gates of the White House.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eleanor Smeal</span> American feminist leader

Eleanor Marie Smeal is an American women's rights activist. She is the president and a cofounder of the Feminist Majority Foundation and has served as president of the National Organization for Women for three terms, in addition to her work as an activist, grassroots organizer, lobbyist, and political analyst.

Antifeminism, also spelled anti-feminism, is opposition to feminism. In the late 19th century and early 20th century, antifeminists opposed particular policy proposals for women's rights, such as the right to vote, educational opportunities, property rights, and access to birth control. In the mid and late 20th century, antifeminists often opposed the abortion-rights movement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Organization for Women</span> American feminist organization

The National Organization for Women (NOW) is an American feminist organization. Founded in 1966, it is legally a 501(c)(4) social welfare organization. The organization consists of 550 chapters in all 50 U.S. states and in Washington, D.C. It is the largest feminist organization in the United States with around 500,000 members. NOW is regarded as one of the main liberal feminist organizations in the US, and primarily lobbies for gender equality within the existing political system. NOW campaigns for constitutional equality, economic justice, reproductive rights, LGBTQIA+ rights and racial justice, and against violence against women.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrew Schlafly</span> American lawyer, Conservapedia founder

Andrew Layton Schlafly is an American lawyer and Christian conservative activist. He is the founder and owner of the wiki encyclopedia project Conservapedia. He is the son of the conservative activist and lawyer Phyllis Schlafly.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1977 National Women's Conference</span> Four-day event in Houston, Texas

The National Women's Conference of 1977 was a four-day event during November 18–21, 1977, as organized by the National Commission on the Observance of International Women's Year. The conference drew around 2,000 delegates along with 15,000-20,000 observers in Houston, Texas, United States. The United States Congress approved $5 million in public appropriations for both the state and national conferences as HR 9924, sponsored by Congresswoman Patsy Mink, which Ford signed into law. In 1977 at the start of his presidency, President Jimmy Carter chose a new Commission and appointed Congresswoman Bella Abzug to head it. Numerous events were held over the next two years, culminating in the National Women's Conference.

<i>A Choice Not an Echo</i> 1964 book by Phyllis Schlafly

A Choice Not an Echo is a non-fiction book self-published in 1964 by movement conservative activist Phyllis Schlafly. It was the first of Schlafly's 19 books and sold three million copies, bringing her to national attention as a conservative activist. Schlafly published this book to support Arizona Senator Barry Goldwater in his presidential candidacy, hoping to help him triumph in the California primary, cementing his chances for obtaining the Republican party nomination. Schlafly's secondary motivation behind the publishing of A Choice Not an Echo was to break control of the "Eastern Establishment" over the Republican Party. In other words, her book served as an exposure of the covert influence that, in her word, "kingmakers" had on Republican primary nominations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zoe Nicholson</span> Feminist activist and author

Zoe Nicholson is a feminist activist, author, and a longtime member of the National Organization for Women. Openly lesbian, she is known for her work as an independent historian of Alice Paul as well as her role in the campaign for the Equal Rights Amendment.

Women in conservatism in the United States have advocated for social, political, economic, and cultural conservative policies since anti-suffragism. Leading conservative women such as Phyllis Schlafly have expressed that women should embrace their privileged essential nature. This thread of belief can be traced through the anti-suffrage movement, the Red Scare, and the Reagan Era, and is still present in the 21st century, especially in several conservative women's organizations such as Concerned Women for America and the Independent Women's Forum.

The Johnson Amendment is a provision in the U.S. tax code, since 1954, that prohibits all 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations from endorsing or opposing political candidates. Section 501(c)(3) organizations are the most common type of nonprofit organization in the United States, ranging from charitable foundations to universities and churches. The amendment is named for then-Senator Lyndon B. Johnson of Texas, who introduced it in a preliminary draft of the law in July 1954.

<i>The Conservative Case for Trump</i>

The Conservative Case for Trump is a 2016 book written by Phyllis Schlafly, with Ed Martin and Brett M. Decker, arguing that American conservatives should vote for Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election. It was published the day after Schlafly's death, four months after Trump secured the Republican Party nomination in May and two months before he won the general election. The authors describe Trump as someone who promises the most conservative presidency since Ronald Reagan's.

<i>Mrs. America</i> (miniseries) 2020 American historical drama web television miniseries

Mrs. America is an American political drama television miniseries produced by FX and originally aired on the sister streaming service FX on Hulu. Created and co-written by Davhi Waller and directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, Amma Asante, Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre, and Janicza Bravo, the series details the unsuccessful political movement to pass the Equal Rights Amendment and the unexpected backlash led by conservative activist Phyllis Schlafly in the 1970s. It features a large ensemble cast led by Cate Blanchett, Rose Byrne, Uzo Aduba, Elizabeth Banks, Margo Martindale, John Slattery, Tracey Ullman, and Sarah Paulson.

Abortion in Illinois is legal. Laws about abortion dated to the early 1800s in Illinois; the first criminal penalties related to abortion were imposed in 1827, and abortion itself became illegal in 1867. As hospitals set up barriers in the 1950s, the number of therapeutic abortions declined. Following Roe v. Wade in 1973, Illinois passed a number of restrictions on abortion, many of which have subsequently been repealed. Illinois updated its existing abortion laws in June 2019. The state has seen a decline in the number of abortion clinics over the years, going from 58 in 1982 to 47 in 1992 to 24 in 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Equal Rights Amendment and Utah</span>

From the 1960s through the 1980s, proponents of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) were seeking ratification in each state throughout the United States. Although the Senate approved an unamended version on March 22, 1972, attempts at ratification of the amendment in the state of Utah repeatedly failed. Organizations formed and took positions on both sides of the issue, including the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which was one of the major opponents of the ERA. The Church organized women and other church members in opposition, while also networking with other anti-ERA organizations. The Utah Legislature officially voted down the amendment in 1975. However, Utah still houses a wide variety of organized groups and opinions for and against the Equal Rights Amendment, which remains unratified to the present.

Family Foundation of Virginia is a socially conservative and Christian fundamentalist lobbying organization headquartered in the US city of Richmond, Virginia. It was focused originally on opposition to sex education. It has expanded to opposition to the Equal Rights Amendment, nondiscrimination policies, and same-sex marriage. The organization supports legal conversion therapy for minors and increased legal restriction on abortion.

References

  1. 1 2 "Eagle Forum". ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer. December 2023. Retrieved 2024-09-13.
  2. ↑ Kornfield, Meryl; Knowles, Hannah; Cheeseman, Abbie (2024-07-17). "Republicans approve new platform with revised abortion position". Washington Post. ISSN   0190-8286 . Retrieved 2024-09-13.
  3. ↑ Reischman, Collin (2015-02-02). "Martin will not seek MRP Chairman post". The Missouri Times. Retrieved 2024-09-13.
  4. 1 2 Eagle Trust Fund v. United States Postal Service, et al., 19-5090 , 41a(United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia CircuitJune 23, 2020).
  5. 1 2 3 Ford, Lynne E. (12 May 2010). Encyclopedia of Women and American Politics. p. 158. ISBN   9781438110325 . Retrieved 2012-03-26.
  6. 1 2 Moseley, Brandon (28 May 2020). "Phyllis Schlafly Eagles' President Ed Martin endorses Bill Hightower for Congress". Alabama Political Reporter. Retrieved 12 March 2021.
  7. 1 2 "Annual Eagle Council honors Phyllis Schlafly with three days of far-right conspiracy theories". Southern Poverty Law Center. September 19, 2018. Retrieved 2024-09-13.
  8. 1 2 Diamond, Sara (Sara Rose) (1995). Roads to dominion: right-wing movements and political power in the United States. Internet Archive. New York : Guilford Press. ISBN   978-0-89862-862-3.
  9. ↑ Meagher, Richard (2009-06-10). "Remembering the New Right: Political Strategy and the Building of the GOP Coalition". Political Research Associates.
  10. ↑ Cuniberti, Betty (1985-10-02). "Other Voices Crying Out Against the Feminists : Concerned Women for America at 2nd Convention Join Other Conservatives". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2024-09-14.
  11. ↑ Eagle Forum v. Phyllis Schlafly's Am. Eagles, 451F. Supp. 3d910 (United States District Court for the Southern District of IllinoisApr 1, 2020).
  12. ↑ Rivenburg, Roy (1996-07-02). "Gale-Force Phyllis". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2024-09-14.
  13. ↑ Pastor, Robert (2011). The North American Idea: A Vision of a Continental Future. New York: Oxford University Press, USA. pp. 11, 76. ISBN   978-0-19-978241-3. OCLC   741646639.
  14. ↑ Bernthal, Jeff (April 26, 2016). "Eagle Forum split lands in court". FOX 2. Archived from the original on April 29, 2016. Retrieved May 28, 2024.
  15. ↑ Dunn, Rachael Herndon (2016-04-29). "Ed Martin tries to drag Roe into Eagle Forum mess". The Missouri Times. Retrieved 2024-09-14.
  16. ↑ McDermott, Kevin (2016-09-13). "Eagle Forum board members accuse Martin of trying to 'monetize' Schlafly's name in wake of her death". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved 2024-09-14.
  17. ↑ Kohler, Jeremy (October 22, 2016). "Judge orders shakeup of Schlafly's Eagle Forum". Salina Journal. St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved 2024-09-14.
  18. ↑ Mannies, Jo (2017-01-03). "Battle over Phyllis Schlafly's legacy intensifies, with her children at the center". STLPR. Retrieved 2024-09-14.
  19. ↑ Montgomery, Peter (2018-07-27). "Eagle Forum Slams Competitor For Using Phyllis Schlafly Name While Supporting Pro-Choice Candidate". Right Wing Watch. Retrieved 2024-09-14.
  20. ↑ Mannies, Jo (2017-01-03). "Battle over Phyllis Schlafly's legacy intensifies, with her children at the center". St. Louis Public Radio (STLPR). Retrieved 2024-09-14.
  21. 1 2 Steakin, Will; Kim, Soo Rin (July 9, 2024). "Trump is trying to distance himself from Project 2025 -- but its architects helped shape his RNC party platform". ABC News. Retrieved 2024-09-14.
  22. ↑ "Join Eagle Forum and Phyllis Schlafly -- Join Eagle Forum so you will have a voice at the U.S. Capitol and at State Capitols". www.eagleforum.org. Retrieved 2015-12-02.
  23. ↑ "Eagle Forum Blog: Moving Toward a North American Union". blog.eagleforum.org. Archived from the original on 2015-12-08. Retrieved 2015-12-02.
  24. ↑ Sullivan, Patricia (2016-09-05). "Phyllis Schlafly, political activist who helped push GOP to the right, dead at 92". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2024-09-14.
  25. ↑ "Join Eagle Forum and Phyllis Schlafly -- Join Eagle Forum so you will have a voice at the U.S. Capitol and at State Capitols". www.eagleforum.org. Retrieved 2015-12-02.
  26. ↑ Kornfield, Meryl; Knowles, Hannah; Cheeseman, Abbie (2024-07-17). "Republicans approve new platform with revised abortion position". Washington Post. ISSN   0190-8286 . Retrieved 2024-09-14.
  27. ↑ "Planned Parenthood's Odious Activities - Eagle Forum". Eagle Forum. Retrieved 2015-12-02.
  28. 1 2 3 Critchlow, Donald T. (2005-01-01). Phyllis Schlafly and Grassroots Conservatism: A Woman's Crusade . Princeton University Press. ISBN   0691070024. stop%2520era.
  29. ↑ "Phyllis Schlafly". MAKERS. Retrieved 2015-12-02.
  30. ↑ MAULDIN, COTTRELL, DEBBIE. "NATIONAL WOMEN'S CONFERENCE, 1977". tshaonline.org. Retrieved 2015-12-02.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  31. ↑ "Equal Rights Amendment". Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney. Archived from the original on 2015-12-08. Retrieved 2015-12-02.
  32. ↑ Stracqualursi, Veronica (2021-03-07). "Federal judge says deadline to ratify ERA 'expired long ago' in setback to advocates' efforts". ABC7 Chicago. Retrieved 2021-09-07.
  33. ↑ Vettese, Troy. "What's the Difference Between Wikipedia and Conservapedia?". History News Network. Retrieved 2024-09-14.
  34. ↑ Schott, Bryan (January 10, 2022). "Eagle Forum conference helps inject fringe ideas into Utah's political mainstream". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved 2024-09-14.
  35. ↑ Robinson, Doug (2004-11-07). "Eagle eye: Moral crusader Ruzicka wields 'phone tree'". Deseret News. Retrieved 2024-09-14.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.