Essay On Marriage Inequality

2249 Words5 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Thomas jeffersons views on the constitution

Fewer social issues cause more heated debate both politically and personally than the issue of same-sex marriage. When presented with the term “marriage equality”, most Americans would probably associate it with same-sex marriage. But homosexual couples have not been the only demographic to experience inequality in America when it comes to marriage. In early agrarian societies, women were the face of marriage inequality. They were considered a possession like land or cattle or anything else. Fast forward to 1960’s America when the American Civil rights movement was at its height. With the exception of those who lived it, few would remember that it was only in recent decades that interracial marriage was legalized in the United States. Will history repeat itself? Will future generations of Americans ever remember a time when same sex couples were not allowed to marry? This paper will attempt to explore the history of marriage inequality in America as well as highlight the issues that are being debated and voted on in present day elections.

Background
Marriage is by no stretch of the imagination a static institution. It is dynamic, which is to say that is always changing or evolving. The idea of marrying for romantic love is a relatively new phenomenon, or at least the resurgence of an ancient one. Anthropologists tell us that the earliest form of civilization, hunter-gatherer societies, seemed to have married for love much like western societies do today (Fisher, 2004). However, this practice did not last long. With the accumulation of wealth and possessions came the need to secure and control those assets. Therefore marriage became an economic consideration in agrarian societies. It was an arranged i...

... middle of paper ...

...me would argue that to legalize gay marriage would fundamentally change the American family, but haven’t we already done that? At one time the American family precluded interracial couples, but no more. Now the American family, at least according to federal law, precludes same-sex couples. America ended up on the right side of history last time. Will it again? I firmly believe that the next President of the United States will be faced with this decision. I hope that president remembers that the 14th Amendment of the Constitution outlines equal protection under the law for all citizens. Thomas Jefferson put it best in the Declaration of Independence, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

Show More
Related

  • Analysis Of Obergefell V. Hodges

    700 Words  | 2 Pages

    Abstract On June 26, 2015 a divided Supreme Court ruled in the landmark case Obergefell v. Hodges that same-sex couples could now marry nationwide. At the time of the split ruling there were 9 supreme court justices, 5 of the justices were Republicans, and the remaining 4 were Democrats. In high profile cases it is except that the justices will vote along party lines. When the 5-4 ruling was reveled by the following statement. “It would misunderstand these men and women to say they disrespect the idea of marriage. Their plea is that they do respect it, respect it so deeply that they seek to find its fulfillment for themselves. Their hope is not to be condemned to live in loneliness, excluded from one of civilization’s oldest institutions. They ask for equal dignity in the eyes of the law. The Constitution grants them that right (Corn,2015).” written by

    Read More

  • Analysis Of The Radical Idea Of Marrying For Love By Stephanie Coontz

    798 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the article, “The Radical Idea of Marrying for Love” author Stephanie Coontz argues that love is not a good enough reason to get married. People shouldn’t marry just because they love one another, Coontz suggests that perhaps marriage should be based on how well a couple gets along and whether or not if the significant other is accepted by the family. One will notice in the article that Coontz makes it very clear that she is against marrying because of love. In the article is a bit of a history lesson of marriage and love within different cultures from all over the world. Coontz then states her thesis in the very end of the article which is that the European and American ways of marriage is the

    Read More

  • Loving V Virginia Essay

    716 Words  | 2 Pages

    The U.S. has recognized marriage as a basic human right by many court cases including Loving v Virginia. Since protecting the marriage of a black-Cherokee woman and a white man, the case has also helped support the legalization of same-sex marriage in all 50 states. This is important because it creates a more united America by knocking down social constraints that disallowed the 5-10% of America identified as homosexual from being married. In the same way as blacks were not allowed to vote, gay couples were not allowed to marry. The legalization of same-sex marriage is helping bridge the split in social order of America by not outlawing same-sex couples for being “immoral” and implying the couples are less-deserving of marriage than a heterosexual relationship. The change of expanding the 14th amendment’s meaning of equal protection of rights for all citizens, in this case for marriage, is helping people treat each other as equivalent and allowing the country to take another step towards liberty and justice for

    Read More

  • Anne Bradstreet's Concept Of Marriage

    1276 Words  | 3 Pages

    The concepts of marriage have changed, no, evolved over time. Today, the union through marriage of two individuals is very distinct from what it used to be. While in current times marriage is mostly considered and perceived as a union of love between two people, the concept of love in marriage in reality is a very contemporary notion. Marriage, while a voluntary choice today in most parts of the modern world, was nothing more than a union of convenience in past times. Love was nothing more than an afterthought idea. Marriage in the past has been mostly ruled by politics and overall convenience, disregarding the wishes of those involved. While today the concept of the traditional marriage is nothing

    Read More

  • Colonial Times

    523 Words  | 2 Pages

    It appears that as time goes by, people view marriage more romantically, and less economically. Samuell Sewell viewed marriage as a way to advance monetarily. In his diary he writes, "I said 'twould cost L100. per annum: she said twould cost but L40"(63). This is just one example of him carefully calculating the costs of marriage.

    Read More

  • The Limulation Of Marriage: The Abuse Of Love And Marriage

    981 Words  | 2 Pages

    There are movies, books, songs, poems, and even a holiday devoted to love. However, the concept of love that seems to be greatly glorified by our own society is also heavily binded by expectations that come from ignorance or beliefs. These restrictions are mirrored by the restriction that marriage seems to face due to the heavily embedded notion that marriage is the prioritized outcome of love. However, as many authors such as Meghan O’Rourke bring up, marriage seems to have grown old and might need to be renewed or replaced in some way. (O’Rourke, 2013) Some of the suggestions that are brought up in O’Rourke’s review, “The Marriage Trap,” seem to be a bit radical, but these suggestions are not to be ignored. While a new standard would be hard to implement completely, the concept of a more liberal form of marriage that removed the restrictions from its infrastructure would provide a less oppressive environment in the world that would let love more openly thrive. The failings of love as a whole are heavily connected with the failings of marriage in our society, and we should to be more honest about these failings because it would reveal the disconnect that love and marriage have always had between them and could allow for changes that would allow society to remove the roots of misogyny and discrimination while allowing true love to

    Read More

  • Persuasive Essay On Gay Rights

    1017 Words  | 3 Pages

    Sixty years from now, the American people will look back on the 21st century and be appalled at how the people from today allowed their government to make it illegal for certain couples to get married, just as the people of today are disgusted with the ban on marriage between interracial couples before 1967. Being so advanced technologically, it is surprising how America is still so behind on the issue of same-sex marriage. The United States should push aside the religious argument in this debate, and truly separate its church and state as it claims to do so. From its slow beginning to the rapid increase of support in the 70’s, homosexual marriage has been a controversial debate that hopefully will end in the near future.

    Read More

  • Themes Of Marriage In Jane Austen's Pride And Prejudice

    1258 Words  | 3 Pages

    Since the beginning of time, marriage exists as a large part of life. The values of marriage change on a year to year basis and as trends continue to change so will marriage. There have been numerous reasons for marriage throughout time such as arranged, wealth, love or many others. In the 18th century, many marriages were based on one’s class and wealth and not true love. Today, many marriages do not take wealth or class into account they focus on that person’s inner self and love. Marriage exists as an overlying theme throughout Pride and Prejudice and every marriage appears for a different reason.

    Read More

  • My Identity And Identity Autobiography Of Cultural Identity

    1624 Words  | 4 Pages

    Fairfax, “Marriage is one of the core values of society. Almost 20 years ago, the well renowned black scholar and psychologist Dr. Na’im Akbar (1991) penned the following: ‘‘marriage is such an important lesson in manhood (womanhood) development. It is no wonder that every society requires some form of it’’ (p. 13).” This coincides with the values that I stated above that were considered important in my culture. Marriage is important to more that my culture obviously but in my culture there is always this well-known quote from the bible: “He who finds a wife, finds a good thing (NKJV Proverbs 18:22). That is basically religion and love in the same

    Read More

  • Women's Role in Society in Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen

    2714 Words  | 6 Pages

    In Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen shows examples of how most marriages were not always for love but more as a formal agreement arranged by the two families. Marriage was seen a holy matrimony for two people but living happil...

    Read More

  • Trends of Marriage and Divorce

    1291 Words  | 3 Pages

    Marriage is one of the oldest cultural institutions in the world. Its status has changed drastically over the years, and in the last few decades alone has gone from being a social expectation to simply an option for most people. In the 1920s, marriage was generally considered an expectation for all young women, lest they dry up like cacti before they bore children. Today, marriage is generally recognized as a commitment that may satisfy some, though many choose to forgo the process. The differences between the cultural perception of marriage in the “Roaring Twenties” compared to today have manifested themselves in many different ways.

    Read More

  • Marriage in Western Cultures

    655 Words  | 2 Pages

    Marriage, and specifically in western cultures is a topic that has greatly changed over the course of time. From the 16th century all the way to nowadays, numerous aspects of marriage, and the reasoning behind it have evolved. Historically, marriage was less about emotions compatibility and more about other socioeconomic benefits. These unions of two people were based upon functions like controlling wealth, sexual relations and building networks. The division of labour is also something that has greatly changed over the course of the last centuries. At the start of the 17th century, individual people from each gender were looked at as less of a person than if they were united by marriage. Apart from being part of the church, unmarried individuals were to live at the farthest margin of society. By the 18th century, being a bachelor was considered to be the lowest form of manliness, and soon after, any man who wasn’t married would have a hard time securing credit for himself. On the other side of things, unmarried females were the ones that coined the term “spinsters.” This word originally was an honorable title referring to textile production but soon after, it became an offensive slur. Women soon felt as if being married to anyone was better than being called that word. Marriage has not only changed since the medieval times but it has also greatly changed within the past 3 decades. More focus has been put on emotional compatibility and less on the financial aspect of marriage. There are also deeper connections between child and parents whereas in the past, parents acted more like “dictators,” and less as friends. The increase in emotions in marriage has led to sex being used more for recreation as opposed to solely for conceiving ...

    Read More

  • Changing Families

    1780 Words  | 4 Pages

    ... the past several years is the same-sex family. Since the sexual revolution of the 1960’s, changing attitudes have brought more tolerance to the gay and lesbian community. This has somewhat loosened the stigma previously associated with this segment of the population. Along with evolving public attitudes, economic and legal changes in the United States have also reduced barriers previously facing same-sex couples making it more likely for them to form families (Butler, 2004). On the other hand, continued strong institutional ties to marriage between one man and one woman continue to pose problem for this group and shape social agendas (Glenn, 2004; Lind, 2004). While several states and many employers have given recognition and benefits to homosexual partners, there is still no uniform policy in place which addresses their familial rights in the United States.

    Read More

  • How Marriage Has Changed Over The Years

    1428 Words  | 3 Pages

    Society today holds different values of marriage than in previous years. In the article “The Changing Landscape of Love and Marriage”, authors Kathleen Hull, Ann Meier, and Timothy Ortyl list some of the ways marriage changed, from the age couples marry to the commitment couples make. Today half of people who marry in this day and age are likely to divorce each other (2010, p.33). Nowadays, couples wait to tie the knot and couples become more flexible with the options that remain available.

    Read More

  • Marriage And Family Essay

    1152 Words  | 3 Pages

    What is a family? A family is two or more people consider themselves to be blood related, or related by marriage, or adoption. Our families are who we love. We as families look different in so many ways. A family’s caregiving unit might have a couple, a mother, a father, and children. A family could also be a single parent and child, a group of siblings, a small or large group of friends. A family defines itself in many different ways. Families are the foundation of how our society and how it works. It is how we come into the world and nurtured and given the tools that we need to go out into our world. We are both capable and healthy or not our families influence our lives either in a good way or a bad way. While families

    Read More

More about Essay On Marriage Inequality

Open Document