History of Marriage Law Essay

e. Matrimonial Causes Act in 1923 gave women the right to the same grounds for divorce as men.

On July 11, 1958 a couple of hours after midnight, Richard Loving a white man and Mildred Loving an African American woman were awakened to the presence of three officers in their bedroom. One of the three officers demanded from Richard to identify the woman next to him. Mildred, full of fear, told the officers that she was his wife, while Richard pointed to the marriage license on the wall. The couple was then charged and later found guilty in violation of the state's anti-miscegenation statute.

A young woman would marry a man who was usually significantly older than she was. After marriage, women were stuck in a home where the male was the head of the household and made all of the decisions.11 Marital choice did not exist; at least not for women. Woman were forced to marry men that they barely knew, thus even the most intimate details of their lives were decided not by them, but by others. Love was usually not a factor in the marriage equation. Wife-beating was also allowed and men sometimes imprisoned, starved, and humiliated their wives.12

Women had great social pressure on them to marry. Young girls were often married by the age of 13 or 14 . It was socially unacceptable if women were not married by the age of 25 . Marriage was mostly for economic benefits, not romantic situations. A wedding, rather than a religious ceremony, was a civil contract that set the responsibilities and duties of husband and wife . Once married, they legally became one with their husbands. Married women had no control of their earnings, inheritance, property, and also could not appear in court as a witness nor vote . Their husbands, therefore, were responsible for all aspects of their wife including discipline .

Before marriage, young adults would participate in courting. Men began searching for a potential wife in their late teens while women began this process around the age of fifteen of sixteen. However, these colonial individuals did not actually marry until they were in their early to mid-twenties.The concept of marriage includes many objectives , “according to the mid-nineteenth-century edition of Webster's dictionary, marriage was "the act of uniting man and woman, as husband and

The Supreme Court case Loving v. Virginia (1967) resulted in the striking down of state laws that prohibited whites and African Americans from marrying. Mildred Loving, one of the parties in the case, issued a statement on the fortieth-anniversary of her case in which she urged that same-sex couples be allowed to marry.

into contracts, and marriage was, and is, very much a legal contract. This means that until 1865 when slavery ended in this country, the vast majority of African Americans could not legally marry. 2. Democratic elections change government office holders and policies. Often the changes in policies represent a change of emphasis.

The argument brought before the Supreme Court was to eliminate the ban on same sex marriage that was still held by thirteen states. This was done as part of a lawsuit called Obergefell versus Hodges. Court documents outline that, “14 same-sex couples and two men whose same-sex partners are deceased, filed suits in Federal District Courts in their home States, claiming that respondent state officials violate the Fourteenth Amendment by denying them the right to marry or to have marriages lawfully performed in another State given full recognition.” (United States Court of Appeals)

There were also many double standards between men and women. For example, it was considered extremely taboo to be in a relationship before marriage for both men and women. But, as there was no child support or abortion in the 1930’s, women that became pregnant before marriage would normally be left alone with the child, as the father would simply leave the town. This left only the mother and the child ostracized, even though the act is forbidden for men as well.

The standard upheld had been the normal marriage practice among the elite during the Renaissance. The act required that "'banns had to be published two weeks before the ceremony was to take place; second, that the marriage had to be solemnized in a parish church in the presence of a priest and two other witnesses; and third, that parental consent was necessary for persons under 21'" (Cacicedo 193). This practice ensured parental control over the couple and transfer of property.

Soon after a girl hits puberty, she is considered ready for marriage. Marriages were almost always arranged by the families of the bride and

The reason this quote is used is because this quote describes a dream that she was thinking that would be accomplished in the years ahead. If one sees of this situation with a creative aspect, one can think that there would be many possibilities for having very large ideal unions in the 19th century. For example, if the girl, before getting married, was not making and her parents would have enough money to support their daughters, she would have the time to choose the guy of her choice. "If they failed to find a husband, and their parents could not support them, daughters were still obliged to support themselves." -Shanny Meideï, Women's work, p.149 All these quotes prove that women did actually get married for financial support.

It would be a huge understatement to say that many things have changed when it comes to women's rights, positions, and roles in our society today since the 19th century. Actually, very few similarities remain. Certain family values, such as specific aspects of domesticity and performance of family duties are amongst the only similarities still present.

In the 1800's in America women in some states were allowed to get married at the age of 15 and up, of course with parent consent. However, the marriages were more focused upon the young women and most likely didn't have a say.

Throughout time marriage customs have always been changing just like an ocean current. In ancient history to the 18th century, customs and Laws have enforce the subservience of wives and husband. But because of women's right movements, women slowly wanted to be regarded as their husbands equals, rather than property. A western republic has made marriage laws more gender neutral.