Marriage and Citizenship

Goals:

1. Introduce and discuss coverture concept
2. Intersection of marriage rights and US citizenship
3. Citizenship restrictions and marginalized groups (married women, non-white, LGBT, HIV, etc...)

Coverture: The (ancient) legal concept that on marriage, a woman becomes the property of her husband (see p. 83 of "Justice for All?"); she is subsumed

• Find examples of modern echoes/vestiges of coverture
• Still countries/religions that practice coverture in an extreme (the woman has no rights)
• The woman takes the man's last name
• Woman is expected to move in with the man and join his household
• Husband's name comes first (Mr. and Mrs. _____________)
• Child takes the last name of the father
• Father of the bride gives away the daughter to the husband
• Father/Husband is the head of the household
• "Marital rape exception"
• Wedding vows "to honor and obey"
• "White dress" -- You should be pure
• The phrase "rule of thumb"

Sorry my notes are lackluster today. I'm having a bad one.