Definition Argument Outline: Marriage And Divorce

Marriage is a word that instills a different meaning in every person that hears it. Some people think of the religious meaning, two people joined together in the eyes of God. Others don't involve a god into their union and see it as a union between two people. Occasionally people don't take marriage seriously and just consider it the next step after dating. Whatever the opinion, every person, whether married or single, has his or her own opinion of what a marriage is and what it entails. William Shakespeare, Judith Minty, and Linda Patsan all have their own ideas on marriage. In "Sonnet 116", "Conjoined", and "Marks," each express strong opinions on marriage. William Shakespeare's "Sonnet 116: Let Me Not to the Marriage of True

About two centuries ago a new standard to the way marriage should be viewed came about. This set higher expectations for marriage. This change made more strict divorce laws, in turn made it harder to end a good marriage, it gave individuals more freedom to refuse a spouse. “The husband became the family’s economic motor, and the wife its sentimental core.” (p. 385) By the late eighteenth century marriage became a private contract between a husband and wife and was not regulated by church or state. However many working-class families did not adopt the new norms until the twentieth century. Different culture and countries still argued their views, many changed their description of an ideal mate.

Marriage has been defined as “the legal status, condition, or relationship that results from a contract by which one man and one woman, who have the capacity to enter into such an agreement, mutually promise to live together in the relationship of husband and wife in law for life, or until the legal termination of the relationship.” (Marriage, n.d.) In 1973, Maryland became “the first state to pass a statute banning marriage between same-sex couples.” (Freedom to Marry, 2015) After much debate, on June 26, 2015, the Supreme Court ruled for a ‘Freedom to Marry’ in all states, even against the states who still had a ban on same-sex marriage. (Freedom to Marry, 2015) Obviously, even with a federal ruling and over thirty years, there is still a

The definition of marriage has changed over time. At the beginning of the nineteenth century, the United States defined marriage as a union between a consenting man and woman, of non-African decent (Stahlberg, 2008, p. 443). This, however, changed after the civil war. In 1868 two consenting adults of opposite gender could marry someone of the same race, but this was also restructured in 1967 to allow marriage of all consenting adults of opposite genders regardless of race (Stahlberg, 2008, p. 443). Today, the law looks very different. Recently, on June 26, 2015, the Supreme Court ruled that same-sex couples have the right to marriage (gay marriage, 2015).

Marriage is universally understood to be the legal union between a man and a woman. This acknowledgement, however, has recently generated dispute and controversy in certain individuals, primarily homosexuals and supporters of homosexual marriages. This opposition, due to this mainstream view, exists because certain states such as Minnesota deny same-sex marriages.

Traditional wedding vows state, “I, (name), take you (name), to be my (wife/husband), to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death do us part”(Callaway). Marriage is defined as two people bond together legally under the protection of laws. Couples are able to express and establish their life long relationships officially, publicly, and permanently. Due to the fact that homosexual relationships are increasingly more accepted by the public, gay marriage has become one of the most controversial topics throughout the US. The fundamental human right of marriage should not be limited to a man and a woman;

Marriage: a social construct in the form of a formal union of a man and a woman, typically recognized by law, by which they become husband and wife.

We define marriage as either a.) “the state of being united to a person of the opposite sex as husband or wife in a consensual and contractual relationship recognized by law” or b.) “the state of being united to a person of the same sex in a relationship like that of a traditional marriage” (Merriam-Webster). Although, until June 26th, 2013, federal law did not recognize the latter definition until Edith Windsor, surviving wife of Thea Spyer who left her entire estate to Windsor sued for spousal rights. Due to the federal Defense of Marriage Act, which states the word ‘marriage’ means only a legal union between one man and one woman as husband and wife, and the word ‘spouse’ refers only to a person of the opposite sex who is a husband or a wife (United States Congress)”, when Spyer passed and left her entire estate to her wife (who she married in Toronto, Canada in 2007, in which same-sex marriage was legalized since June 2003) Windsor was unable to claim spousal exemption on the estate tax, which their legal marriage said she deserved.

In the U.S., marriage is a binding contract between two people. The decision to get married is made individually and not set up or decided upon by the government. The government has the ability to place rules or laws around marriage, but should stop short of directing or promoting marriage.

What is the definition of marriage? Over the years, the word marriage has been challenged from its current definition as listed in Merriam-Webster 's Dictionary as an act of marrying or being married between a man and a woman. Marriage can also be defined in the Oxford Dictionary as the formal union of a man and a woman, typically recognized by law, by which they become husband and wife. The word marriage becomes a special type of bond between two people that share the same desire to become the other person’s life partner. Marriage can be challenging between two people based on their current government state laws, in their religious and cultural beliefs as well as challenging to the word to be defined

across cultures, it is argued that marriage has been recognized as being between one man and one

Calling something marriage does not make it marriage. Marriage is a legal contract between a man and a woman. It is the institution that establishes kinship and relations in the family. Marriage is mostly recognized by a state, organization, religious authority, local community, or peers. Marriage is for procreation, education, the unity, and well-being of the couple. Some say marriage is for two people who love each other and ready for commitment. Nevertheless, in the bible times, couples were not allowed to choose the one him or her married. Therefore, the person he or she married was not the person him or her loved. Divorce was not an option; the couples had to learn to love the person they married. Stating this, marriage is not all about love and emotions, but the purpose of marriage. Marriage is unique and universal. (Rauch) Marriage of homosexual couples would not provide the same benefits of a heterosexual couple. Homosexual are not allowed to produce children. They must have vitro-fertilization or surrogacy. Same-sex couples should not be allowed to marry, because marriage is for a man and a woman, all religion is against gay marriages, and gay marriages are the slippery slope for other marriages. (Ferguson)

What does marriage mean? By definition, marriage is “the legal union of a man and a woman as husband and wife” (Webster’s Dictionary). Most people claim that they want their marriage to last a lifetime. Because over half of all marriages in the United States end in a divorce, most people lack the understanding of what it takes to stay married. I believe that couples should become more aware of the commitment that they are making when they enter into marriage.

While abortion law is a lot more straightforward and the patterns are obvious, marriage law in the United States is a bit more complicated.

Marriage is an abstract concept that may have different definitions for different people. For Barber, marriage is the legal union strictly between a man and a woman as seen when she defends interracial marriage: “As marriage is defined as a union between a man and a woman, there was no ‘legitimate overriding purpose’ to outlaw marriage between a white man and a black woman ...” (257). She also states that the two subdivisions of marriage- interracial and same-sex marriage- are not equal