The History of Marriage

What is Marriage? Marriage is when people are being united together as husband and wife in a consensual and contractual relationship recognized by the law. Marriage hasn’t always been how it is now, where women have a say in family problems, and where woman have the right to choose whom they want to marry. Before during the ancient times, women had to marry those in their families, and could not marry those that were Marriage use to be all about doing what you needed to support your family, which meant you married someone who was able to give you what you needed. Marriage wasn’t because you loved someone, but it was always because people wanted to preserve power. Now in the marriage, people marry, because they love each other, and because they want to make an effort to spend the rest of their lives together.

During the Mesopotamia period, the first ever recorded marriage contract and ceremony dates to 4000 years ago. Woman had no rights in their marriage, even the lower class had no say in marriage, and therefore wives could not divorce unless the husband asked for it. Husbands were allowed to divorce their wife if she didn’t fulfill her duties (give birth to children.) During the Mesopotamia period, marriage was not because the two people loved each other, but because of preserving power, fathers’ of ruling class would even marry off their daughters. By doing this, it allowed the families to form alliances, acquire land, and produce legitimate heirs. Future husband, and bride-to-be’s father agreed on a contract that was a price for the maiden’s hand. If the marriage did not go well, and they divorced the father-in-law was entitled to satisfaction. The contract they made, had said, that if a child was not born, the husband got...

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