This thesis compares the status of upper-class widows in England to Colonial America. The common law traditions in England established dower, which was also used in the American colonies. Dower guaranteed widows the right to one-third of the land and property of her husband. Jointure was instituted in England in 1536 and enabled men to bypass dower and settle a yearly sum on a widow. The creation of jointure was able to proliferate in England due to the cash-centered economy, but jointure never manifested itself in Colonial America because of the land centered economy. These two types of inheritance form the background for the argument that upper-class women in Colonial America had more legal and economical freedoms than their brethren in England.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:unt.edu/info:ark/67531/metadc4507 |
| Date | 05 1900 |
| Creators | Jones, Sarah E. |
| Contributors | Morris, Marilyn, Chet, Guy, Stern, Laura |
| Publisher | University of North Texas |
| Source Sets | University of North Texas |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis or Dissertation |
| Format | Text |
| Rights | Public, Copyright, Jones, Sarah E., Copyright is held by the author, unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved. |
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