Until Women are Equal

The Declaration of Independence was written by and for men. The 19th Amendment gave women the vote. It did not end their second-class legal status. Only the implemented Equal Rights Amendment can do that.

The Women's Declaration of Independence reflects a long arc in American history:

1776 — Declaration of Independence

1848 — Declaration of Sentiments challenges coverture and the denial of women's rights

1868 — Reconstruction Amendments redefine citizenship, yet women remain legally subordinate under coverture and without equal constitutional status

1920 — Women secure the vote, but not full constitutional equality

1923 — Equal Rights Amendment introduced to guarantee equal rights for women under the Constitution

1965 — Voting Rights Act strengthens Black women's access to the ballot

1972 — Congress approves the Equal Rights Amendment and sends it to the states for ratification

2020 — Equal Rights Amendment becomes fully ratified, renewing the national debate over women's constitutional equality and equal protection under the law

2026 — Women's Declaration of Independence proclaimed nationwide during America's 250th anniversary, carrying forward the unfinished promise of the 1848 Declaration of Sentiments

This July 4, gather with friends, family, or your community and read the Women’s Declaration out loud on every street corner!