About colonial marriage customs
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The early American colonists came to America from many countries and cultures, and their marriage customs originally reflected their homelands. It was not uncommon, however, for women to have more rights and freedom with regards to her marriage, her family and her property than most of the women that they'd left behind. Some of the marriage customs and laws of the colonial American period may surprise you.
History
The colonial period of U.S. history extends from 1607, when settlers established Jamestown, Va., until 1776, when the colonists declared their independence from England. That first ship to land at Jamestown carried no women at all, and the Mayflower, landing at Plymouth in 1620, carried only 28 women. Despite romantic notions to the contrary, many of the colonial wives were bought brides. Between 1620 and 1622, over 150 "pure and spotless" white women were brought to Virginia and auctioned off to men for an average of 80 pounds of tobacco.
As the numbers began to even out, many of the English settlers followed the customs of their homeland--dowry, announcement of banns and a marriage ceremony. Other colonies also followed the traditions they brought with them. In New York and New Jersey, those settlers were the Dutch- Germans settled Pennsylvania, and Swedes settled along the Delaware River.
As the colonies expanded, the distance between homesteads and the difficulty of sparing time from the chores of daily life also played a part in the changing marriage customs.
Function
In the colonies, weddings were not religious ceremonies. Rather, they were a civil contract that set the responsibilities and duties of husband and wife. In England, couples to be married had their wedding plans announced from the pulpit three weeks in a row. It's believed that marriage licenses came about as a replacement of banns in early colonial America because of the difficulty of notifying family and friends in the widely separated colonies.
In addition to the marriage contract, women were also protected by law in some colonies. In Massachusetts, for instance, a law was passed in 1641 that forbade men from beating their wives unless "it be in self defence." It was also not unusual for many women to enter marriage with a prenuptial contract specifying that she would retain control of her own property, or that it would return to her if the marriage dissolved.
Both women and men enjoyed further protections through custom and social mores. It was expected that a man would cohabit with his wife and support her, and that he would not commit adultery. Those who did suffered consequences at the hands of the community.
There were even divorces granted among both the English and the German settlers. The contracts and agreements that were signed when a marriage was dissolved frequently required that a man continue to support his children, making them the precursors to modern-day divorce and child-custody agreements.
Features
Wedding customs likewise varied among the cultures within the colonies. In Quaker settlements, for example, brides and grooms exchanged vows that they had written themselves before continuing on to lavish parties that could last days. In the Southern colonies, the couple was usually married in the bride's family home by a minister. After the formal ceremony, there was feasting, dancing and drinking that sometimes lasted for days.
In some of the Scottish Presbyterian colonies, it was customary for friends to kidnap the bride sometime during the wedding festivities and take her to an inn or the home of another friend. The groom and his friends would follow in hot pursuit to "rescue'" her, often redeeming her with a bottle of whiskey.
The Pennsylvania Germans and the Dutch of New York and New Jersey conducted wedding ceremonies in their native languages and followed up the civil ceremony with a celebration. In many congregations, though, celebration was held off until the Sabbath following the wedding when the bride was "walked out." Then, the bride and groom walked to church as man and wife for the first time, often leading a procession of the entire community. They wore their most festive clothing, and in some churches, occupied a special seat so that they could be seen by all in attendance. It was also customary for the bride to choose the reading to be read at the first meeting she attended as a married woman.
Misconceptions
Contrary to popular belief, colonial girls seldom married in their teens. In fact, it was far more common for a colonial woman to marry between the ages of 20 and 23. The men were often older, though most young men married for the first time in their mid to late twenties.
It was a father's duty to see to it that all of his daughters were provided for in one way or another. While that sometimes meant arranged marriages, it was more common for a father to negotiate with the suitor of his daughter's choosing.
Because life was difficult and life expectancy short, it was not unusual for a colonial man or woman to marry three or four times in their lives.
While there were families with 10 to 15 children, it was more common for families to have seven or eight children.
Significance
The marriage customs of colonial America have come down to modern America in many ways. The traditions and laws handed down include the announcement of banns and the recording of a marriage license, the requirement of witnesses to testify to the marriage and the use of prenuptial agreements.
Source: www.ehow.com
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