Interesting. It had just the information I was looking for regarding bi-racial marriages in the US at the turn of the century. I now understand why gay marriage is a difficult subject. ( )

This is an outstanding review of the history of the institution of marriage! It is a very easy read, also. It traces how the federal government has defined marriage since the founding of the Republic. Christian marriage was a consensual submission of the wife to the authority of the husband, as the citizen makes a social contract with the state. Monogamy was connected to virtue and republicanism while polygamy was connected to coercion and despotism (as in Turkey). Although marriage was regulated by the federal govt., the exact requirements were defined by State governments. Although there were discrepancies between states, the evolution of marriage generally followed the same trajectory across the country. Eventually, however, the federal government took a more and more active role in making marriage requirements more uniform.

In addition to marriage as a central institution of the republic, the public sanction of marriage also defined citizenship. Non-whites were excluded. In addition, polygamist groups were condemned to the point that Cott says that Mormons were considered non-white in the nineteenth century.

Cott traces the evolution of marriage through the end of the twentieth century, examining how it has changed in recent decades. She cites examples of how marriage is becoming more flexible. This is partly because women are assuming a greater place in the workforce and society in general, allowing them options other than marrying or staying in a bad marriage. Lower marriage and birth rates, higher rates of divorce and co-habitation before marriage demonstrate that marriage is declining in importance as an institution.

Cott skirts the issue of homosexual marriage, giving very little time. Since this is relatively recent addition to the national agenda, it is not surprising that a historian does not examine it closes. Hopefully someone of Cott's caliber will examine it as thoroughly in the near future. ( )

An intersting book about a womans role in the institution of marriage and how the said institution is delicately tied to political ideology. The book was stale at some points and the word 'repitition' comes to mind. Of particular intrest to me throughout the book was the female role in the marriage and how she deprived of a political role after marriage. ( )