The equal rights amendment of 1972 to expand the civil rights of women was unsuccessful for which of these reasons? a. congress believed that the constitution already provides adequate protections for women. b. the supreme court struck the amendment down on grounds that it was unconstitutional c. it was defeated by voters at the ballot box when it was placed on a referendum d. not enough states ratified the amendment before the deadline expired in 1982

Option D. The Equal Rights Amendment of 1972 to expand the civil rights of women was unsuccessful because not enough states ratified the amendment before the deadline expired in 1982.

Explanation:

The Equal Rights Amendment was approved by the U.S Senate on March 22nd, 1972 and was then sent to the states legislatures for ratification. The Amendment written by Alice Paul and Crystal Eastman was designed to guarantee equal legal rights for all American citizens regardless of their sex.

Congress originally set the deadline for the ratification for the 22nd of March of 1979, and during 1977 the amendment received the ratification from 35 States out of the 38 necessary for it to pass. But then a conservative backlash against the feminist movement that pushed for the amendment state to gain power and even with Congress setting a new deadline for the 30th of June, 1982, five States legislatures voted to revoke their previous ratifications and the amendment ultimately failed to receive the ratification.

c. the passage of the fifteenth amendment