Cultural Change for the We the People Amendment

[third in the series] 

Women had few legal rights in early U.S. history. Single women could serve as guardians, sue and be sued and act as executors of estates, but little else, including the right to vote. Married women, under the British laws of “coverture” which remained in place after the revolution, could not own property, control their own money, sign legal documents, or vote. In both instances, men represented women in these affairs. Despite Abigail Adams urging her husband and future President, John Adams, to “Remember the Ladies,” in establishing the new government, he responded, “We know better than to repeal our Masculine systems.”

Adams wasn’t the only prominent woman early on advocating for women's rights. The 1772 book by enslaved poet Phillis Wheatly challenged the narrative that blacks and women were inferior to men. “On the Equality of Sexes” by Judith Sargent Murray and “The Vindication of the Rights of Women” by Mary Wollstoncraft were other early writings affirming that women were human beings, not property, deserving of basic rights. A century later, Susan B. Anthony stated, “It was we, the people; not we, the white male citizens; nor yet we, the male citizens; but we, the whole people, who formed the Union. Suffragette Mary Livermore, noted: “Above the titles of wife and mother, which, although dear, are transitory and accidental, there is the title human being, which precedes and out-ranks every other.”

The Abolitionist Movement was the spark for the century-long Women’s Right Movement. Women began to speak out publicly against slavery despite discrimination in male-led abolitionist organizations. More radical abolitionists in the 1830s demanded the immediate end to slavery and women’s rights split with those simply calling for a more gradual end to slavery. Women gained valuable experience in organizing, speaking and writing. The refusal to seat and hear from Lucretia Mott and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, two staunch abolitionists and women’s rights advocates at the 1840 World Anti-Slavery Convention in London, was a major factor in the eventual creation of a separate women’s rights movement.

A cultural shift toward women’s rights was underway. 

We’ve gained 15 new cosponsors for the We the People Amendment, bringing us to 45 cosponsors—and this momentum is exactly what we need to keep pushing forward. It’s clear that more lawmakers are recognizing the danger of corporate influence over our government and are starting to take action.

And this is only the beginning...

At Move to Amend, we believe that creativity is a powerful tool for change. The arts —poetry, music, visual art, and literature — have always been integral to every social movement in this country and beyond. From the resistance of past generations to today’s battles against corporate rule, artists have led the charge in inspiring others to stand up for justice, equity, sustainability and democracy. 

The fight against corporate personhood and the corrupting influence of money in politics is deeply connected to the power of art. Through various forms of expression, we aim to expose the impact of big money in elections and corporate influence on our democratic processes. Whether through songs, films, poetry, or literature, artists are helping to shine a light on the dangers of corporate rule, and how it affects every aspect of our lives.

We’ve begun assembling an “art collection” of poems, music, literature, and films. This list is just the beginning. 

To mark World Poetry Day, below are two poems from Move to Amend supporters, plus a poetic song on the corrupting influence of money in politics.

According to the White House, Executive Order 14087 has been signed — rolling back critical medication price decreases for seniors that were negotiated just one year ago. This executive action is a blatant gift to Big Pharma, once again proving that corporate power holds more sway over our government than the voices of the people.

You can see for yourself — the White House News page lists all executive orders numerically. Scroll to #14087 to see the order that rescinds lower drug prices for Medicare recipients. Please share this information with anyone you know who could be affected.

White House Executive Orders List- 14087

How did this happen? Follow the money.

Big Pharma and other giant corporations have never held more political power than they do today. This is thanks to the disastrous Citizens United Supreme Court decision, which further codified the insane notion that a corporation is a person and money equals speech.

This allows corporations to spend unlimited amounts of money to influence elections and policy, drowning out the voices of everyday people. This executive order is just the latest example of corporate rule in action.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) was created to protect us—everyday people—from predatory banks, payday lenders, and corporate greed. It was one of the few agencies standing between Wall Street and the financial devastation of working families.

We’ve reached a crucial moment to claim our democracy from corporate control, and it’s going to take all of us to make it happen.

Learn how you can be a part of the movement pushing to pass the We the People Amendment.

Every day, corporate influence tightens its grip—drowning out the voices of everyday people and shaping policies that put profits over our communities, our environment, and our future. Billionaires and corporate lobbyists flood elections with dark money, drowning out the voices of everyday Americans. Big Pharma blocks lower prescription drug prices while raking in record profits. Oil and gas giants bankroll politicians to stall climate action while wildfires rage and floods devastate communities. Corporate polluters poison our water—just ask the people of Flint and East Palestine—yet they face little to no accountability.

Together, we can change that! Join us for “Organizing for the We the People Amendment” on March 10.
(RSVP below)

The We the People Amendment (H.J.Res. 54) is the solution. It will put an end to corporate constitutional rights and overturn Citizens United, ensuring that our government is led by people, not corporate interests. This amendment will make it clear: only human beings have constitutional rights, and money is not speech.

This is our moment to take back our power to create a genuine democracy—but we can’t do it alone. Every dollar corporations pour into elections is a dollar spent silencing you. Every day we wait, corporate power grows stronger.

Imagine standing in the Supreme Court chambers 169 years ago today, as Chief Justice Roger Taney delivers the infamous ruling in Dred Scott v. Sandford. The words hang heavy in the air—words that strip away the very humanity of an entire people. Words that declare, without hesitation, that Black individuals "had no rights which the white man was bound to respect."

Dred and Harriet Scott had dared to dream of freedom, had fought courageously in the courts, and had even tasted victory—only to have it cruelly overturned by the highest court in the land. And yet, their loss was not just personal. It set a chilling precedent: that property rights outweighed human rights, that the expansion of slavery could not be curbed, and that the Constitution itself was never intended to include people of African descent.

We know how this story continued. The abolitionist movement erupted with renewed fury. The Civil War raged. The 13th and 14th Amendments were passed, bringing the legal end of slavery and a promise—however fragile—of citizenship and equal protection under the law.

But what if we told you that the Dred Scott ruling was never formally overturned?

What if we told you that, in 2016, it was still being cited as legal precedent—used in an attempt to deny women their constitutional rights in a Kansas court case? 

At Move to Amend, our strength is in our people—the dedicated grassroots organizers and advocates who bring our movement to life in their communities. This month, we want to celebrate the work of our affiliates and advocates who have been tirelessly pushing forward the We the People Amendment, despite the challenges of winter and the political roadblocks that corporate interests throw in our way. Their persistence, passion, and commitment are what make this movement unstoppable.