At the Democratic National Convention in 1960 , a proposal to endorse the ERA was rejected after it was opposed by groups including the American Civil Liberties Union ( ACLU ) , the AFL – CIO , labor unions such as the American Federation of Teachers , Americans for Democratic Action ( ADA ) , the American Nurses Association , the Women 's Division of the Methodist Church , and the National Councils of Jewish , Catholic , and Negro Women . Presidential candidate John F. Kennedy announced his support of the ERA in an October 21 , 1960 , letter to the chairman of the National Woman 's Party . When Kennedy was elected , he made Esther Peterson the highest-ranking woman in his administration as an Assistant Secretary of Labor . Peterson publicly opposed the Equal Rights Amendment based on her belief that it would weaken protective labor legislation . Peterson referred to the National Woman 's Party members , most of them veteran suffragists and preferred the " specific bills for specific ills " approach to equal rights . Ultimately , Kennedy 's ties to labor unions meant that he and his administration did not support the ERA
Democratic National Convention in 1960
1960 Democratic National Convention
Equal Rights Amendment