The definition of marriage in this nation has changed greatly since its founding. Right up into the 20th Century, women in general (and married women specifically) had no rights to own property, vote, or make business contracts of any kind without the permission of their husbands. Women were essentially the "property" of their husbands. Also, it was extremely difficult to get a divorce in this country, and those that were granted were severely limiting (some prohibited the guilty party from ever marrying again). As late as 1966, there were still
17 states in the Union that had laws banning interracial marriage. It took the Supreme Court (in
Loving V. Virginia) to strike down these laws. In handing down their argument for the majority, the Supreme Court stated:
Loving v. Virginia Majority Brief
So clearly, marriage has become something other than what it once was, and that is just in the 235 years that this nation has been in existence. It will continue to change. Already judges have ruled against laws prohibiting same-sex marriages as being unconstitutional, and it is only a matter of time before same-sex spouses are granted the same rights, benefits, and responsibilities, as opposite-sex spouses have enjoyed for quite some time. These are tangible rights that have been recognized in another Supreme Court case in 1996,
Romer vs. Evans, in which a same-sex marriage ban in Colorado was overturned. Several other states have had their same-sex marriage laws overturned for violating the Equal Protection clause of the 14th Amendment.
Some Information on Same-sex Marriage for further research
State By State: The Legal Battle over Gay Marriage
Same-Sex Marrage: A Selective Bibliography of the Legal Literature
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