Phyllis Schlafly and civil rights
Some leftists have attempted to paint grassroots conservative activist Phyllis Schlafly as a supposed racist who opposed civil rights. The "Intelligencer" section of the liberal magazine New York claims:[1]
In 1960, Schlafly led the conservative faction in a revolt against a platform plank opposing segregation and racial discrimination in voting and housing. In 1964, conservatives again defeated platform amendments endorsing the enforcement of the 1964 Civil Rights Act (which had already become law, over the objections of the Republican Party’s nominee, Barry Goldwater) and calling for the federal protection of voting rights. Just as racial liberals drove racial conservatives out of the Democratic Party, racial conservatives did the same in the Republican Party.
The article leaves out the full context of the 1960 Republican Party platform. The opposition by Schlafly and many conservatives toward the plank was attributed to the fact that it was suggested by Moderate Republican Nelson Rockefeller, who they strongly opposed.[2] Rockefeller's proposal differed very little from the original civil rights plank; Schlafly's opposition was due to siding against the New York establishmentarian, not civil rights in general.
During the 1952 United States presidential election, Schlafly supported the strongly conservative Robert A. Taft, a pro-civil rights Republican,[3][4] for the party's nomination over the more moderate Dwight Eisenhower.[5]
According to her biographer Donald Critchlow:[6]
| “ | There’s no record of [Schlafly tolerating racism.] | ” |
References
- ↑ Chait, Jonathan (September 6, 2016). Phyllis Schlafly and the Death of Civil-Rights Republicans. Intelligencer. Retrieved April 23, 2021.
- ↑ Warner, Judith (January 29, 2006). She Changed America. The New York Times. Retrieved April 23, 2021.
- ↑ Edwards, Lee (October 29, 2020). Robert Taft’s Conservative Proposal for Civil Rights. Fascinating Politics. Retrieved April 23, 2021.
- ↑ The Political Thought of Robert A. Taft. Heritage Foundation. Retrieved April 23, 2021.
- ↑ Phyllis Schlafly, Happy Warrior. National Review. Retrieved April 23, 2021.
- ↑ Jashinsky, Emily (April 22, 2020). Fact Check: Phyllis Schlafly’s Biographer On Her ‘Deplorable’ Depiction In ‘Mrs. America’. The Federalist. Retrieved April 23, 2021.