United States Government

1. The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) was the most highly publicized and debated constitutional amendment before the United States for most of the 1970s and early 1980s. First submitted by Congress to the states for ratification on March 22, 1972, it failed to be ratified by its final deadline of June 30, 1982. If ratified, the ERA would have become the twenty-seventh amendment to the Constitution. The proposed addition would have 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."

    -     West’s Encyclopedia of American Law

After reading the scenario, respond to A, B, and C below:

(A) Describe a power states can use to address the issue outlined in the scenario.

(B) In the context of the scenario, explain how the use of state power described in Part A can be affected by its interaction with the people.

(C) In the context of the scenario, explain how the interaction between states and the people can be affected by interest groups.