Review on the Origin of the Family, Private Property and the State. ------------------ Frederick Engels |

These early humans were naturally solitary, lacking a common language with which to communicate. In this stage of human development, men and women had intercourse as result of instinct and happenstance, parting with a similar apathy towards each other. In fact, the bond between mother and child was also transient; as soon as the child becomes self-sufficient, they part ways forever. Thus, a man would never even know if he fathered children. Monogamy is impossible in this model- men and women would have multiple partners governed by convenience rather than any meaningful bond. Rousseau asserts that monogamy is a social construct, only developing when men and women start building homes and living together. The rise of monogamy, and thus the family unit, ensures that men are truly the fathers of their children, establishing a desire to pass on values and possessions in a family. Combined with the inception of private property, this development marks an important step to arriving to modern

The first eight chapters we reviewed from the book Public and Private Families: An Introduction gives us a foundation in comparing and studying the family from a sociologist’s view. Written by Andrew J Cherlin, a Sociology Professor at Johns Hopkins University. As a class we discussed several key points taken from these chapters and reflected how these concepts pertain to our life whether it be our family directly or observations of other family dynamics. I found Cherlin’s first chapters to be easy to follow and pertinent to the study, he goes into detail regarding his views and offered several suggestive ways to research and study in depth more if the reader so chose to do.

Family used to be a single unit, consisting of a husband, wife and children. This unit was widely thought as a group based on marriage and biological parenthood as sharing a common residence and

ReferencesAugust, P. (2005, October). Arranged Marriages in the Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arranged_marriageBowman, H. & Spanier, G. (1978). Modern Marriage. McGraw-Hill Book Company.

”since the beginning of civilization, in every known society, governments have recognized a marriage between a man and a woman because it provides the next generation outstanding citizens and is the only means of melding two sexes into a stronger and more complete whole” (Kaufman 164).

Freedom in America and property went hand and hand; without the ownership of property, indivduals were not granted the privilege of living freely. The security of property was recognized as a foundation of freedom in early America. This was so because without property one was viewed poorly, “those who did not control their own lives ought to not have a voice in governing the state. Political freedom required economic independence”. Therefore, freedom was not awarded to those without control of land and subsequently, control over their own lives. Furthermore, the connection between personal liberty and private property ownership paralleled that of the relationship between land control and complete freedom. Personal freedom is defined as, “the ability to make crucial individual choices free from outside coercion”. But without land, people were already viewed as incompetent for individuality, so it would be impossible for one to achieve personal freedom. This does in fact make owning land a prerequisite for personal freedom. In conclusion, there is a direct relationship between land ownership and

For most of United States history, people considered property a man’s game. Upon marriage, the majority of property owned by colonial women transferred from the control of their father, or other male relative, to that of their new husband. With the exception

Two or more persons (one of whom is the householder) related by birth, marriage, or adoption, residing together

In the Second Treatise of Government by John Locke, he writes about the right to private property. In the chapter which is titled “Of Property” he tells how the right to private property originated, the role it plays in the state of nature, the limitations that are set on the rights of private property, the role the invention of money played in property rights and the role property rights play after the establishment of government.. In this chapter Locke makes significant points about private property. In this paper I will summarize his analysis of the right to private property, and I will give my opinion on some of the points Locke makes in his book. According to Locke, the right to private property originated when God gave the world to

Pollit expounds on the true meaning of marriage; by looking at the history of marriage. For a period of time, “polygyny was the rule;”

One of the best forms of family structures is polygyny which has been eroded through modernity and changes in culture. A unique culture, polygyny, particularly practiced in the Sub-Saharan Africa. According to Grey (2008), “Of the twenty-nine nations in the world classified as having high rates of polygyny, twenty-seven are located in sub-Saharan Africa, where the incidence of co-wives is ten times that found in other polygynous

In Millennium: Strange Relations, presented by David Maybury Lewis examines the concept of marriage by focusing on three different groups the Nyimba of Nepal, Wodaabe of Niger, finally a Canada (Western European viewpoint). Lewis also examines the concepts of monogamy, fraternal polyandry, and polygyny with the respective case studies.

The simplest and most basic foundation of a sociological civilization or group begins at the core center of sociology; which is marriage and the inner-fabric creation of a family. It is said that matches are made in heaven, however finding and defining your “soul mate” differs from one social group to the next. The social institution of marriage changes and adapts consistently through time, religious practice, and national beliefs. Many people believe they lead happy and satisfying lives without a marital partner, as others highly value and desire a life-long marital partner as the pinnacle achievement of their life.

Family structure in the United States has undergone a dramatic change since the 1960's. The percentage of female-headed households increased while the percentage of married couple households declined. This paper uses data from the Urban Underclass Database to explain the roles the transforming economy (from manufacturing to service) and the subsequent employment dislocation play in the family structure change. Results for the largest 100 cities in the United States find support for a relationship between changes in the economy, subsequent male unemployment, and family

Joint family is a common practice among populations. Paternal side is considered higher compared to the maternal. Moreover, couples often desires to have boy over girl due to the agricultural background. Girls are considered someone else’s property since she marries and goes to other house. Most money is spent on son’s marriage compared to girls since it is taken as expenses of same house. Advancement of China and the increased literacy has huge impact on these normal rituals.