In Her Own Name: The Politics of Women’s Rights Before Suffrage

Long before American women had the right to vote, states dramatically transformed their status as economic citizens. In Her Own Name explores the origins and consequences of laws guaranteeing married womens property rights, focusing on the people and institutions that shaped them. Sara Chatfield demonstrates that male elites' motives included personal interests, benefits to the larger economy, and bolstering state power. Laws spread across the country without national-level coordination, and the reform of married womens economic rights rested on exclusionary foundations, including protecting slavery and encouraging settler colonialism.

Format: Hardback
Length: 256 pages
Publication date: 30 May 2023
Publisher: Columbia University Press

Before American women gained the right to vote, states underwent a significant transformation in their status as economic citizens. In the early 19th century, a married woman had limited legal existence apart from her husband. However, by the 20th century, state-level statutes, constitutional provisions, and court rulings had granted married women a range of protections concerning ownership and control of property. It is intriguing to understand why powerful men extended these rights during a period when women had limited political influence.

In Her Own Name delves into the origins and implications of laws safeguarding married women's property rights, with a particular focus on the individuals and institutions that shaped them. Sara Chatfield argues that the motivations of male elites included personal interests, economic benefits to the broader economy, and the enhancement of state power. She demonstrates that the expansion of married women's property rights could serve diverse political objectives across different regions and eras, ranging from temperance to debt relief to the settlement of the West. State legislatures, constitutional conventions, and courts gradually expanded these rights, and laws spread across the country without national-level coordination.

Chatfield emphasizes that the reform of married women's economic rights was built upon exclusionary foundations, including the protection of slavery and the promotion of settler colonialism. While some women benefited from property reforms, many others saw their rights stripped away by the same processes. By employing a combination of qualitative and quantitative evidence, In Her Own Name provides fresh insights into the role of women in the uneven democratization of the United States.

Weight: 504g
Dimension: 159 x 238 x 19 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780231199667