ABSTRACT
Ironically, Eisenhower Republicans were more likely to lose their House seats than were Goldwater conservatives. Congressional districts with a large proportion of college-educated, socially liberal voters turned against their Republican representatives. In 1972, the Democratic Congress had approved a constitutional amendment to send to the state legislatures for ratification. The proposed Equal Rights Amendment stated that: “Equality of rights under the law shall not be abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.” The humiliating, globally televised, end of the Vietnam War in 1975 demoralized Americans. To make matters worse, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, whose membership was heavily Middle Eastern, retaliated against the US for its support of Israel. Oil embargoes and dramatic price hikes caused fuel shortages across the US and emptied the pockets of financially stressed Americans.
