Abstract
The Constitution of the United States, as the law of the land, offers an objective measure over time of the development and change in meaning of the ascriptive characteristics of Americans who may be considered to be participants in the body polity under the rubric ‘We, the People’. A determined effort is made to identify classes of ‘people’ who were intentionally or unintentionally omitted from viable citizenship in the first great social experiment in representative democracy. Particular attention is directed to the two largest categories of the population: men and women. Certainly the thrust of the proposed Equal Rights Amendment to the Constitution was to clarify and neutralize the Constitution’s numerous masculine gender references. However, since the ERA was not ratified on 30 June 1982, it becomes important to understand precisely how the Constitution specifies significant gender and generic relationships in a document basic to the principles underlying human rights.1
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
BETH, L. (1971) The Development of the Constitution, 1877–1917 (New York: Harper & Row).
BEARD, C. (1941) An Economic Interpretation of the Constitution of the United States (New York: Macmillan).
BLAUSTEIN, Albert P. and FLANZ, Gisbert H. The Constitutions of the World, Vols 5, 6, 8, 15 (New York: Oceana Publications).
BOLINGER, D. (1980) Language: The Loaded Weapon: The Use and Abuse of Language Today (New York: Longman Group).
BUCKLEY, W. (1978) ‘Unsex me now’, National Review, Vol. XVIII: 582–3.
BUCKMAN, P. (1977) Lafayette: A Biography (New York: Paddington Press).
CARY, E. and PERATES, K. W. (1977) Women and the Law (Skokie, Ill.: National Textbook).
CROTTY, W. J. (1977) Political Reform and the American Experiment (New York: Thomas Y. Crowell).
DAVIDSON, K. M., GINSBURG, R. B. and KAY, H. H. (1974) Text, Cases and Materials on Sex-Based Discrimination (St Paul, Minn.: West Publishing).
DU BOIS, E. C. (1978) Feminism and Suffrage: The Emergence of an Independent Women’s Movement in America, 1848–1869 (Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press).
FRAZIER, A. (1970) Mary Queen of Scots (New York: Delacorte Press).
GRIMES, A. (1978) Democracy and the Amendments to the Constitution (Lexington, Ma.: Lexington Books).
KRAMARAE, Cheris (1981) Women and Men Speaking: Framework for Analysis (Rowley, Mass.: Newburg House).
LEEDHAM, C. (1965) Our Changing Constitution (New York: Dodd Mead).
LEVY, L. W. (1972) Judgments: Essays in American History (Chicago: Quadrangle Books).
LUNDBERG, F. (1980) Cracks in the Constitution (New Jersey: Lyle Stuart).
MARTYNA, W. (1980) ‘Beyond the “He/Man” Approach for Nonsexist Language’, Signs: Journal of Women and Society, 482–93.
OGDEN, D. K. and RICHARDS, I. A. (1936) The Meaning of Meaning (New York: Harcourt & Brace).
POLE, J. R. (1978) The Pursuit of Equality in American History (Berkeley, Calif.: University of California Press).
SACHS, A. and WILSON, J. H. (1978) Sexism and the Law (New York: The Free Press).
THATCHER, G. (1986) ‘Gorbachev Should Have Congress Under Control’, Christian Science Monitor. Syndicated 23 February.
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Copyright information
© 1988 Palgrave Macmillan, a division of Macmillan Publishers Limited
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
McDonagh, E.L., McDonagh, E.C. (1988). Gender/Generic Language in the United States Constitution: Gender Bias Versus Democratic Ideals. In: Cingranelli, D.L. (eds) Human Rights. Policy Studies Organization Series. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-10122-1_8
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-10122-1_8
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London
Print ISBN: 978-1-349-10124-5
Online ISBN: 978-1-349-10122-1
eBook Packages: Palgrave Political & Intern. Studies CollectionPolitical Science and International Studies (R0)