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: Paperback / softback
Length: 256 pages
Publication date: 30 May 2023
Publisher: Columbia University Press

Long before American women secured the right to vote, states underwent a significant transformation in their status as economic citizens. In the early nineteenth century, a married woman's legal existence was largely confined to her relationship with her husband. However, by the twentieth century, state-level statutes, constitutional provisions, and court rulings had granted married women a host of protections concerning ownership and control of property. It is intriguing to examine 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's research reveals that male elites had diverse motivations behind these reforms, including personal interests, economic benefits to the broader society, and the desire to enhance state power. She demonstrates that the scope and purpose of married women's property rights varied across different regions and eras, encompassing issues such as temperance, debt relief, and the settlement of the West. State legislatures, constitutional conventions, and courts implemented these rights gradually, without a centralized national 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 indeed benefited from these property reforms, many others faced the erosion of their rights through the same processes. By employing a combination of qualitative and quantitative evidence, In Her Own Name offers fresh insights into the role of women during the uneven democratization of the United States.

Weight: 382g
Dimension: 149 x 322 x 23 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780231199674