Marriage In The 1700s

In the colonies marriage was a bit different than those in England. White women were reserved the same rights as free black women during this time. The legal presence of women did not exist while married. Men controlled everything by law. Women were under the man 's protection and controlled all the finances even if they belonged to the women. Under the English rule divorce was impossible however in the new America they saw it fit to end unhappy relationships. Women in America were slowly given more freedoms as time went on. Under English rule women did not have much say in anything, only husbands had control.

Essentially, marriage in the 1700’s was seen merely as a means of birthing heirs and finding a way to financially support yourself, so it resulted in both men and women being devalued. It is universally known that women were often treated as inept and helpless rather than sophisticated people with autonomy and capabilities. In fact, during this time, “married women were consistently compared with minor children and the insane-- both categories of people considered incapable of caring for themselves. To marry a woman was, in one sense, to ‘adopt’ her-- or at least to adopt responsibility for all the circumstances of life with which she entered the marriage” (Teachman 39). Furthermore, when women got married, they would legally cease to exist.

Weddings and marriages today look very different from those held during the Elizabethan times. Some rituals seen in the Elizabethan weddings are no longer done in modern day weddings; modern day marriages no longer have arranged marriages, brides do not marry at a young age, and brides do not have a dowry.

In the book “First Generations Women in Colonial America” by Carol Berkin explains to us how women back then were treated differently from now. They experienced awful situations. Carol explains that back then men thought that’s their wives were considered as their land. Men believed that once they married a woman that they could do anything to them and treat them the way they wanted. Men had no respect to women. Now a day’s men’s and women are treated equally and no one is considered as each other’s property. Men and women have the same rights as everyone else. Theirs laws and those laws must be respected and followed. During colonial times, most women had to marry someone so that they wouldn’t be considered as nothing in life. In other words,

During the Renaissance period, arranged marriage was very common due to the fact that money, political power, and land would result from the marriage. Even though arranged marriages are depicted as an incompetent commodity there are benefits of the marriage for both the husband as well as the wife and that is why there are still arranged marriages today.

Throughout the eighteenth century, social class was an ever ruling concept. A person’s social class determined everything about them—their fate was uncompromising. In order to maintain a high social class, families refused to marry their daughters to anyone of lower standing. They put a lot of effort into finding a suitor who

Dorothy Allison’s book, “Context”, argues that she herself is not worthy to be standing beside her lover in consideration of the difference in economic standing of their two families. Dorothy Allison intensifies her insecurities with continuity of negative thoughts in fear that her lover would leave her after meeting her “working class” family, an ordinary family compared to her lover’s. Her insecurities display that in order for her to continue to be with her lover; she must hold a wealthy lifestyle suitable to her liking. From reading “Context”, you can infer that the audience would be those who do not like their own standing in the current society compared to

During the 19th century, marriage was generally based on social standards and materialistic commodities rather than sentimental attraction. Pride and Prejudice is a novel that analyzes women and their contradicting attitudes towards marriage. Charlotte Lucas is a character that believes happiness is not a necessity as long as she is financially stable. Similarly, Jane Bennet is practical about her economic state while still recognizing the value of true love. In contrast, Lydia Bennet is young, immature and blinded by the idea of being admired. Elizabeth Bennet, on the other hand, refuses to marry for money, and only considers a marriage with mutual compatibility. Consequently, Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice focuses on women and their distinct outlooks regarding marriage throughout this era.

The 1790s marked a time of rebirth for the American government. With first President George Washington at its helm, the decade brought into effect the many facets of the recently ratified Constitution as well as the institution of federal laws, banking policies, and taxes. As the country sought to establish itself as an organized world power, turmoil was ensuing in Europe with the eruption of the French Revolution, presenting the nascent United States with its first foreign dilemma. Within the borders, however, a much larger problem was brewing. Nearly every piece of legislation tested the balance between centralized government and individual freedom. With supporters on both sides, these domestic issues polarized the nation, leading to the

On first impressions of his intended, the satirical Mr Bennet was ‘captivated by youth and beauty and the appearance of good humour which youth and beauty generally give’ (Austen, 1984) however shortly after a marriage constructed upon lust and desire, Mr Bennet’s ‘respect esteem and confidence’ in his wife soon vanished forever. Consequently, Mrs Bennet was demoted by her husband to the ranks of entertainment and a source of amusement for her ‘ignorance and folly’ and want of ‘decorum and propriety’ (Austen, 1984) Moreover with the loss of respect for his wife and the realisation that ‘a pretty face is but sorry compensation for the absence of common sense; and that youth and the appearance of good nature, with the want of other good qualities

Oscar Wilde’s Victorian melodramatic play The Importance of Being Earnest opened on February 14, 1895. Wilde used this play to criticize Victorian society through clever phrasing and satire. Throughout the play The Importance of Being Earnest, Wilde displayed the themes of the nature of marriage, the constraints of morality, and the importance of not being earnest.

Jane Austen Marriage is a paramount concern. Marriage is not only a personal question but rather it affects the whole social group, because marriage is just not a matter of love or companionship, but much more than that. It is a political, social and economic alliance between two people, and their families.

women don’t base a marriage proposal off of wealth, instead for love. More women in

In Jane Austen’s novel, Sense and Sensibility she discusses feminism through the challenges women may face in marriage. Austen’s portrayal of her characters Elinor and Marianne demonstrate the struggles and pressures women face. These challenges can be seen through primogeniture, Elinor and Marianne’s approach to love and marriage, and a man’s ability to ruin or help women.

The Sophia Bush play-by is Mason's wife who he married soon after meeting her. They fell in love insistently and from there things escalated rather quickly. About a month after meeting one another they we're married without really thinking of the consequences and within a few months she was pregnant. However, when they realized neither of them were ready to settle down and the novelty of each other had worn out, they fell apart. Their marriage only lasting a year and a half before they decided to go their separate ways. Nonetheless, they were now stuck with one another since they had their son to raise. Soon after Mason went to Mystic Falls where he was killed by Damon Salvatore.---This cause Sophia to believe he abounded their child. They