The institution of marriage has had an elongated and blemished past. Not always called

marriage this sacred state had slipped through history under many impersonations and

• Monogamy - summarizes an union of male and female or todays same sex couples, so long as the partners are only sleeping with one another.

• Polygamy - is the practice of one man or woman with numerous spouses of the opposite sex. Often, the need for this type of arrangement came from times of war, affliction or other disaster.

• Polyamory - is a multiple-partnered marriage whereby the partners get together out of love.

• Common-Law - is the relationship of a couple without legal ceremony or license.

The Puritans moved marriage to a point where love counted and delighting in the state

of marriage became commonplace, yet extremely committed. The Victorian period dragged

marriage into the closet. Sex was something embarrassing and improper with a quiet

understanding that married couples engaged in marital relations, without pleasure and as duty

and God dictated for the purpose of procreation.

the same sex. Homosexual relationships are more than just sex with someone of the same

• Switzerland In 1536, John Calvin, head of Geneva’s religious government, created a code of morals that limited engagements to six weeks and prohibited revelry, minstrelsy, dancing, and tambourines at weddings. If the bride or groom arrived late, the wedding was canceled.

without the marriage label. Cott spoke at length about the fundamental changes brought to

America was primarily an economic arrangement negotiated among families in which family

• In the 16th century, servants and day laborers were not allowed to marry in Bavaria and Austria unless they had the permission of local political authorities. This law was not finally abolished in Austria until 1921.

and American studies at Yale University, show that at the time of the American Revolution

• United States Law The United States of America was three distinctly different forms of marriage: the first two are a civil, legal status - the third is a religious or social status. While all are called "marriage," there are very big differences between them. A legal marriage license triggers 150-to-250 laws in every U.S. state, plus more than 1,040 Federal laws. A common-law marriage, only available in certain states is realized when a man and a woman present themselves as husband and wife for a requisite number of years. The relationship is able to have many of the same rights and responsibilities as one that had a legal marriage license. The religious form of marriage is merely ceremonial and does not activate any legal status unless the couple also signs a marriage license. In the early 19th century, there was little or no record-keeping of marriage, there was no centralized records, and couples moved around a good deal. If a couple held themselves to be married, that’s the way they were treated. Interracial marriage was forbidden and punishable by prison in 13 states until 1967. U.S. Supreme Court overturned those laws in Loving v. Virginia. New York became the first state, in 1978, to outlaw rape in marriage. By 1990, only a total of ten states outlawed rape in marriage. In thirty-six states rape in marriage was a crime only in certain circumstances.

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