Customer Reviews

Public Vows: A History of Marriage and the Nation

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This book is a clearly-written, informative and provocative history of the institution of marriage. Nancy Cott beautifully traces the development of marriage and the political and legal framework in which it has developed since the founding of the American Republic. Only an expert historian could so concisely explain the complex phenomena undergirding this institution with such grace and ease. A must-read for all those interested in legal, social and women's history in America.

Although the institution of "marriage" among humans is generally considered to be thousands of years old, it has a much shorter history as a public insitution in the United States. Nancy Cott's book dives straight into the history of marriage in the U.S., from early societal attitudes and government regulation during the push westward to later government attempts to reign in those with differing sexual mores throughout the 18th century. Her discusison of the state of marriage in the 20th century is equally revealing.

Nancy weaves a tale with many facts that few people are probably aware of: that marriage was frequently unregulated in early America, that divorce was relatively common (but frowned upon), and that religious and utopian communities were challenging the status quo of marriage and state control of the institution from very early on in our nation's history. She makes the best case I've ever heard for proving that marriage is a public institution subject to the will of the state and men in power, transformed and changed over decades by government, often for purposes of exercising control over the population (especially women) and for imposing on the nation the perceived natural order of things.

Marriage may be ancient in origin, but Nancy Cott does an excellent job in the end of showing that "marriage" in the U.S. did not simply grow organically from these ancient traditions, and that government is capable of altering the institution for its own purposes as it sees fit, regardless of what might truly best for society or the individuals in it. While Cott does not explore the impact of her findings on same-sex marriage in great detail, it is very enlightening to understand that debate in light of the changes in marital law over the past 200 years that Cott cleverly elucidates for the reader. Highly recommended for anyone who wants to understand the evolution of the institution of civil marriage in the United States.

A detailed history of how legal, lifelong, heterosexual monogamous marriage has been actively promoted, mandated, and enforced by various means throughout the history of the USA, with little or no tolerance for those who espouse nontraditonal relationship forms. Well researched and well written. Highly recommended.

Just shy of 300 pages and 9 Chapters that cover An Archaeology of American Monogamy; Perfecting Community Rules with State Laws; Domestic Relations on the National Agenda; Toward a Single Standard; Monogamy as the Law of Social Life; Consent, the American way; The Modern Architecture of Marriage; Public Sanctity for a Private Realm; and Marriage Revised and Revived.

As the author notes Mae West had the best quote about marriage when she said "Marriage is a great institution ... but I ain't ready for an institution yet". But it is the rich historical facts she shares that provide great insight into the deep misogynist roots of marriage and how it was usually and in some cases still is a contract a man has with a woman. This is why I have always seen marriage as nothing more that legalized prostitution and a protection of material wealth.

The author shows how Protestants and to some degree Catholics have decreed what marriage should be as well as how strong men and women have risen up over the decades and even centuries to denounce attempts to regulate whom they could have sex with and attempts to require that people marry to have sex, own property in common.

The books discusses Americas racist and sexist history with marriage and how some politicians were as eugenic minded as well. And how the rich were and have always been given the slight nudge and wink to do damn well what they want which included having lovers. The hypocrisy of American marriage laws.

This is one of the most interesting books that I've read in a long time. I read it for a college paper I was writing, and found it was not a book that I would just skim, but rather one that I read cover-to-cover. Nancy Cott manages to bring to light tons of historical facts about marriage. As I read some of the reviews that say they didn't learn anything, I have to wonder if these reviewers read the same book. Nancy's book is filled with referenced facts (something like 1/4 of the book is a list of her references), so you can look up the original materials if you think she's biased and presenting a skewed history (or just want to be sure she isn't). While this book is an outstanding example of scholarship, it's also highly accessible - it doesn't read like a text book, so it can be enjoyed by both academics and the rest of us! I'd encourage anyone interested in family studies, gender studies, or the contemporary debate on the government's role in marriage to read this book - the historical perspective it presents will enlighten your thinking.

This book doesn't say anything that most don't already know, that marriage is a form of public institution. The goodness of this book comes from that fact that most people can't really explain exactly how or why marriage is a public institution, and if they can their arguments are short and unsupported. Cott gives us tons of strong evidence and supports her arguments with alot of outside sources, so that the reader can get a real understanding. Of course with all books, there is some bias on the part of the author, but the reader doesn't have to agree with Cott in order to get something out of this book.

Nancy Cott's Public Vows: A History of Marriage and the Nation seeks to illuminate marriage as government control of the population politically and socially by the U.S. government purposely regulating marriage with legal measures. Cott further depicts how gender and race were discriminated against by the Christian monogamous based institution of marriage in the United States. Cott's intention in this book was two fold. Firstly, to highlight how the concerted efforts by the U.S. government to promote Christian monogamous marriage and discourage other forms of marriage had a significant impact especially on gender roles in society in which all forms of public and private lives of men and women were affected. Secondly, the institution of marriage had a strong hand in creating the definitions of gender itself.

Cott asserts that the institution of marriage that has been promoted by the government shapes human identity in both public and private spheres and strongly influences gender roles within society and that these pieces of information are integral to understanding society as a whole. Cott sets out to accomplish proving her assertions by giving a systematic historical account of marriage from the beginning of the United States until present day. Cott discusses at great length, legal measures that supported monogamous marriage and discouraged other forms of human union throughout United States history. Cott also discussed in great length the changing economic positions of men and women through the history of marriage. Cott definitely demonstrated that Federal, State, and Local authorities whether the legislative or judicial had a strong role in shaping and charting the direction of marriage in the United States on a course of Christian, monogamous marriage. Cott in turn analyzes the results of government intervention in the institution of marriage and how it related to men, women, and minorities. As the reader of Public Vows there is not a dispute that this is a correct interpretation of monogamous marriage as a government promoted institution and it had differing effects on men, women, and minorities. If this book was written and published in the 1950's for example, it would have been shocking new information, however, since this book was published in 2002 the information that marriage is bound within a legal institution with civil benefits attached that benefit those married is now ordinary information that most know, or at least most who have been married know. The question for this reader was what kind of new information does this provide?

The answer is none because after hearing her explanation of the origins of her idea for this book in the seminar I attended, it was clear Cott's goal was not to provide new information nor were the goals of the book solely the ones mentioned in the book. Firstly, Cott mentioned that the inspirational idea came from her observation while standing in line to purchase a ticket at a movie theater. She noticed that people pair up as male and female couples and she wondered why this was so. Secondly, her association with a colleague that works for a civil rights organization for gay and lesbians wanted her input and expertise to help justify their cause for gay and lesbian marriage. Cott's intention was to illuminate the idea of marriage as an institution that provides legal and civil benefits for the individuals that are married. Cott's true goal was to provide tangible written evidence for what people in the 21st century already know which marriage is a heavily legal institution that provides civil benefits to those that are married. This assertion subtly implies that all couples should be able to enjoy the civil and legal benefits marriage provides. Cott provided evidence for the true goal of this book with her own words in the seminar.

Two pieces of evidence from her own explanation of why she wrote this book points to the fact her intention was not to provide new information, but to lend credibility to the idea of marriage as civil institution to hopefully benefit couples who are currently not allowed to enjoy the civil liberties marriage provides. Firstly, Cott hinted to the fact this was common knowledge in the 21st century because of her surprise at the reaction of the people who listened to her testimony in Vermont about marriage as a civil legal government institution. According to Cott, the people listening to her testimony were taken aback at the thought of marriage having more to do with civil liberties than a religious and spiritual bond between two people. Secondly, Cott mentioned that these individuals were from the small state of Vermont and implied these people were not in tune with modern thinking on marriage. The mere fact that Cott recognized these people listening to her testimony on marriage were not representative of main stream thought on marriage by people in the United States in the 21st century provides evidence that she knew she was not providing new information, but only taking a common cultural idea that marriage is a legal institution and illuminating it for those few who are not in the know already.

After listening to Nancy Cott in the seminar it is clear that the book was written with the main intention to take an intangible idea floating around in the cultural consciousness and transforming it into a tangible idea in the printed word to ultimately serve a cause. Cataloging an intangible idea in black and white on the pages of a book inevitably gives any idea more credibility. Nancy Cott''s goal was to lend credibility to the idea of marriage as a legal and civil institution which hopefully in the long run would prove that gays and lesbians should have the right to marry and enjoy the legal and civil benefits marriage provides individuals.