See the Cast of Mrs. America Vs. The People They Play In Real-Life

The titan leading the grassroots charge against the Equal Rights Amendment, which guaranteed legal equality regardless of sex, was a woman herself. Oscar winner Cate Blanchett plays author and activist Phyllis Schlafly, who organized thousands of like-minded women to stop passage of the ERA.

Rose Byrne plays Gloria Steinem at the start of career, as she became one of the most recognizable faces in the women's movement. Mrs. America depicts Steinem co-founding the National Women's Political Caucus, overseeing Ms. magazine, and sparring with other feminist leaders over how to push policy—including safe abortion access—forward.

Emmy winner Uzo Aduba portrays trailblazing politician Shirley Chisholm, the first black woman elected to Congress and the first black woman to seek the nomination for U.S. president in a major political party. She was also the first woman to participate in a U.S. presidential debate.

Comedian Tracey Ullman plays Betty Friedan, dubbed "the mother of the feminist movement" and author of the 1963 manifesto The Feminine Mystique. Over the course of the series, Friedan struggles to find her place in the movement amid complaints that she's difficult to work with and her controversial views on same-sex relationships.

Often referred to as "Battling Bella," women's rights activist Bella Abzug is played by Emmy winner Margo Martindale. Abzug led a long career in politics, serving as a New York state representative in the '70s, chairing the 1977 National Women's Conference, and leading President Jimmy Carter's National Advisory Commission for Women. Oh, and she was the first to campaign with the memorable slogan, "This woman's place is in the House—the House of Representatives."

Emmy winner Niecy Nash is famed activist Flo Kennedy, a lawyer and civil rights and feminist advocate who co-founded the National Women's Political Caucus and the National Black Feminist Organization.

Elizabeth Banks is no stranger to playing a high-powered Republican; she portrayed Laura Bush in 2008's George W. Bush biopic W. This time, she's cast as activist Jill Ruckelhaus, a pro-choice Republican who was head of the White House Office of Women's Programs under President Gerald Ford.

"I want to thank my husband, Fred, for letting me come here," is how Phyllis Shlafly often began her speeches. That husband is played by Mad Men's John Slattery. Fred was a conservative lawyer with a complex relationship to his wife's newfound notoriety and, eventually, political currency.

Bria Henderson is Margaret Sloan-Hunter, a black feminist activist and poet. She was a founding member of the National Black Feminist Organization and one of the first editors of Ms. magazine.

Melanie Lynskey plays conservative activist Rosemary Thomson, a staunch supporter of Schlafly's fight against the ERA and the Illinois head of Schlafly's Eagle Foundation.

James Marsden brings his megawatt smile to the role of Republican Illinois Congressman Phil Crane. Crane was a major player in the right-wing political sphere for decades and was one of Schlafly's biggest allies in the fight against the ERA. His name would eventually be in the mix for the 1980 presidential nomination, which ultimately went to Ronald Reagan.

Feminist activists resisted putting Gloria Steinem on the same debate stage as Phyllis Schlafly, fearing they would legitimize her power. So they had Schlafly debate Friedan and, at one point, Brenda Feigen, a close collaborator of Steinem's. Feigen was a Harvard-educated lawyer who served as Vice President for NOW, co-founded Ms., and co-directed the ACLU's Women's Rights Project alongside Ruth Bader Ginsburg.