Think '76

Blue and red text under a blue and red rectangle with three white stars on a white background

In 1976, the United States celebrated its Bicentennial, and women's activism groups such as the National Organization for Women (NOW) used to occasion to lobby for civil liberties. The country was in the midst of a debate regarding the Equal Rights Amendment, which had initially received strong support, but by 1976, was struggling to be ratified in the face of strong opposition from conservative women's groups. NOW pointed to the Bicentennial as evidence that equal rights for women was long overdue, and a Women's Bicentennial Medallion (designed by Judith Meuli and Toni Carabillo) was created to help raise awareness for both the bicentennial and the ERA campaign, which would eventually lose steam and stall in the ratification process by 1980.