Source
State Archives of Florida
Description
Handwritten letter praising the governor for his stance on the death penalty but scolding the governor for supporting the Equal Rights Amendment.
General Note
Passed by Congress in 1972, the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) proposed that "equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any state on account of sex." Though 35 states had ratified the ERA by the extended 1982 deadline, it still needed the support of a three-fourths majority, or 38 states, to amend the U.S. Constitution. In Florida, the amendment was introduced or voted on in every legislative session from 1972 until 1982. Though it passed the Florida House of Representatives on several occasions, it never passed the Senate. With the deadline fast approaching, Florida was one of four states to hold a special legislative session to decide on the fate of the ERA in the summer of 1982. While it passed the House (60-58), it again failed in the Senate with a 22-16 vote against ratification. It did not pass any of the other three state legislatures in special session that summer, and the ERA was defeated as a constitutional amendment.
Nov.24,1979
Dear Governor Graham,
I'm writing to you to praise you and scold you.
The praise comes first, I agree with you one hundred percent on the death penalty enforcement, as does the Word of God (Genesis 9:6). It's time we had a man in the Governorship who will enforce the law and give enforcement officers something that has teeth , so that criminals will think twice about violent crimes.
This is the part I don't like to write about, the article that I read in the local paper said that you and the democratic party are backing the E.R.A movement.I wonder if you are aware of the riders on this bill which would entile homosexuals to marry and adopt children, how would you like one of your children to be adopted [?]. READ ROMANS CHAPT. 1!!
I've often heard it said a word to the wise is suffcient.
Thank you for your consideration of those matters.
Sincerely Yours,
Edward B. Shaw, Sr.
Chicago Manual of Style
Shaw, Sr., Edward B. Letter from Edward Shaw, Sr. to Governor Bob Graham, November 24, 1979. 1979-11-24. State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory. <https://www.floridamemory.com/items/show/325533>, accessed 25 December 2024.
MLA
Shaw, Sr., Edward B. Letter from Edward Shaw, Sr. to Governor Bob Graham, November 24, 1979. 1979-11-24. State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory. Accessed 25 Dec. 2024.<https://www.floridamemory.com/items/show/325533>
AP Style Photo Citation
(State Archives of Florida/Shaw)
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