Saving Marriage

Nancy F. Cott chronicles the evolution of marriage. Her bottom line:

Features of marriage that once seemed essential and indispensable proved otherwise. The ending of coverture, the elimination of racial barriers to choice of partner, the expansion of grounds for divorcethough fiercely resisted by many when first introducedhave strengthened marriage rather than undermining it. The adaptability of marriage has preserved it.

2006-2011 archives for The Daily Dish, featuring Andrew Sullivan