Just heard a great short news item on the
BBC Worldnews radio show with Professor
Hendrick Hartog, author of "Man and Wife
in America: A History" and finally, I'm getting
some of my answers to the burning question:
When did marriage become an "institution"
in the United States, particularly between a
woman and a man.
With Prez Bush saying it has been so since
the beginning of time, I've wanted to retort
"my foot" but haven't had historical data.
According to Hartog, the first historical mention
of marriage being an institution between a
woman and a man was around 1860 during
a trial of a Mormon polygamist.
Before that, as some of us know but everyone
seems to forget, marriage was nothing more
than a legal agreement so men could define
their women (aka wives) as their PROPERTY.
Marriage as an institution really hasn't been
an institution for longer than 2 centuries ie.
200 years. Hmmmm, Prez Bush, how is that
the beginning of time? I think you need more
fingers and toes to count that one.
All this to say, I think marriage should be banned
entirely and that anyone who wants to live
together, needs to get a license after
a series of psychological tests.
If they want to have kids, more tests and
another license.
And the testing is repeated annually
to renew your licenses.
This applies to any two people who are
in a loving, supportive, nurturing
relationship and want to be seen as
a pair, a couple and not solely as
an individual - with all the rights that
implies.
This applies to ANY two people.
That's my two and a half cents.
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