“Marriage.” Harper’s Weekly, 1858

“Marriage.” Harper’s Weekly, 1858

Marriage

This item is an article on marriage. The article is clearly directed at men, and does not discriminate by age, race, or economical background. It encourages a man to get married because it will make his life better. The item, although there is no author, provides examples for all of the ways a man’s life will improve with a wife. The tone of the item is similar to that of an advertisement, as if it is selling marriage and then goes on to give all the reasons as to why a man should buy it. Towards the end it reads, “Gentlemen, get a wife – a pretty one, if you like them best; a good one, when she is to be found; and a rich one, if you can get her pretty and good.” This line degrades women so much so, that it depicts them as something to be bought. It also shows that the only characteristics women have are pretty, good, or rich and then a man may go out a pick the one he prefers the most. What makes this item interesting is how it portrays marriage during the time period. According to the article, the decision to get married lay completely with the man. In New York in the 1850’s, women were treated as inferior to men. According to Laura Donnaway in her online article titled, “Women’s Rights before the Civil War,” women and men were in completely different societal spheres. Donnaway states, “The ideal woman was submissive; her job was to be a meek, obedient, loving wife who was totally subservient to the men around her.” The item from Harper’s Weekly says something similar about the roles of women in marriage, “She nurses while sick, she watches for him in health.” This line also shows how women were expected to work completely for the household and take care of their husbands. In 1860, two years after the release of this article, New York passed the first comprehensive reform in women’s legal status, which gave them full property, parental, and widow’s rights.

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“Marriage.” Harper’s Weekly 16 Jan. 1858: page 44. Print.

Harper's Weekly

September 16, 2015

Jessa Laspesa

January 16, 1858

Article