Coverture facts for kids

Coverture was an old legal idea that came from English law. It was used in the United States for a long time.

Imagine a married couple. Under coverture, the husband and wife were seen as one single legal entity—and that entity was the husband. This meant a married woman lost her own legal rights and responsibilities. She became "covered" by her husband.

Traditionally, a woman would take her husband's last name. This was a symbol of this new shared identity. Before marriage, a female child was "covered" by her father's identity. When she married, this "coverage" moved to her husband. Because of this system, a married woman didn't really exist legally on her own. She couldn't own anything in her own name.

In the mid-1800s, people started to speak up for women's rights. This movement is called feminism. Coverture began to be criticized because it was unfair to women. Over time, many of these laws were weakened and eventually removed. However, some parts of coverture, like a husband being responsible for his wife's debts, lasted into the 1960s in some parts of the U.S.

What Was Coverture?

Coverture was a legal rule that said a husband and wife were one person in the eyes of the law. This idea came from old English laws. It meant that a married woman's legal identity was "covered" by her husband's.

How Coverture Affected Women

Under coverture, a married woman had very few rights of her own.

• She could not sign contracts.
• She could not own property.
• She could not keep any money she earned.
• She could not sue someone or be sued in court.
• She could not make a will.
• She could not vote.

All these actions had to be done by her husband on her behalf. Her husband controlled her property, her earnings, and her legal decisions.

The End of Coverture

By the mid-1800s, people started to challenge coverture. Many believed it was unfair and held women back.

• Mary Ritter Beard was an early historian and feminist who wrote about women's roles.
• John Neal, a writer and lawyer, also spoke out against coverture early on.
• Myra Bradwell was a publisher and activist who fought for women's legal rights.

These activists and others worked to change the laws. States began to pass laws that gave married women more rights. For example, they could own property or control their own earnings. These changes happened slowly over many years. By the 1900s, most parts of coverture were gone. However, some small parts, like a husband being responsible for his wife's debts, lasted even longer in some places.

Images for kids

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  Portrait of an English married couple, circa 1780

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  Early feminist historian Mary Ritter Beard

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  Writer, lawyer, women's rights advocate, and early coverture opponent, John Neal

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  Publisher and activist Myra Bradwell

See also

In Spanish: Coverture para niños