Who were the people who believed in a smaller, more limited government?

conservatives

Explanation:

The people who believed in a smaller, more limited government are considered to be CONSERVATIVES.

This category of people generally supports conventional norms and cultures, including strictly adhering to the constitution, strict policies towards criminal activities.

And they hardly if at all seek for changes or emerging movements in their way of lives.

Hence, in this case, the correct answer is Conservatives.

the  equal rights amendment  (era) states: "equality  of  rights  under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the united states or by any state on account of sex." congress first introduced the era in 1923, but the campaign for ratification took off in the 1960s during the  civil rightsmovement.