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Public Vows: A History of Marriage and the Nation Paperback – March 8, 2002

by Nancy F. Cott (Author)
4.0 out of 5 stars 30 ratings
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We commonly think of marriage as a private matter between two people, a personal expression of love and commitment. In this pioneering history, Nancy F. Cott demonstrates that marriage is and always has been a public institution.
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  1. Print length
    304 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Harvard University Press
  4. Publication date
    March 8, 2002
  5. Dimensions
    6.14 x 0.76 x 9.21 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0674008758
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0674008755
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Editorial Reviews

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“In showing how marriage has always been regulated and shaped by the state, Nancy Cott not only recasts our understanding of this most intimate of relationships but enables us to think in new ways about concepts of privacy, public power, and, ultimately, liberty itself in American history.”―Eric Foner, author of The Story of American Freedom

“With Public Vows, Nancy Cott provides the most powerful and thorough account of the evolution of marriage as a legal and social practice in this country, and as a consistent focus of public regulation and political concern. This engaging and lucid book should be on the required reading list of every serious observer of American politics as well as students of social history, marriage, and the family. Cott offers a lens onto racial, religious, and ethnic conflicts, along with a compelling argument that the public uses of marriage can include preservation of a sacred space for private meanings.”―Martha Minow, Harvard Law School

“Public Vows is an extraordinary accomplishment. Nancy Cott definitively establishes the public character of the 'private' institution of marriage in American history. More, she reveals how the American image of monogamy has been infused into laws, social issues and political debates in ways and to an extent one never would have imagined. The book is insightful, imaginatively and thoroughly researched, and convincing. Reading it compelled me to expand and improve my understandings of the institution of marriage.”―Neil J. Smelser, Director, Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences

“Public Vows is a tour de force, a wide-ranging history of marriage from the era of the American Revolution to the era of President Clinton's impeachment and the 'Defense of Marriage Act.' Thanks to this book, people who are unmarried, married or divorced, gays and lesbians, political activists and scholars, all will better understand the weight of history in shaping marriage American style.”―Linda K. Kerber, author of No Constitutional Right to be Ladies: Women and the Obligations of Citizenship

“A gracefully written, deeply researched, and wide-ranging survey of the roles marriage has played in American public discourse, a survey that challenges how political history has been written and that will become the essential starting point for anyone interested in the history of marriage in the United States.”―Hendrik Hartog, author of Man and Wife in America: A History

“One of our most notable American historians offers in lively readable prose the story of marriage laws in the U.S. from earliest times to the present. Have the rules governing marriage changed in our own times? Good question: read on!”―Carolyn G. Heilbrun, author of Writing a Woman's Life

“In this exhaustively researched study...[Cott] posits a monolithic Christian monogamous marriage, formed by the mutual consent of a man and a woman, as American colonists' model. This model, she argues, was congruent with the political ideal of representative government: the Constitution's 'more perfect union' was likened to the domestic ideal of marital union. Entry to marriage, Cott observes, has been regulated by the states, which have also used their power to limit this civil right.”―Publishers Weekly

“In this fascinating study, Cott examines the evolution and impact of marriage law on the American social structure...Presented in a clear, chronological fashion, this work provides a wealth of thought-provoking information. Highly recommended.”―Rose Cichy, Library Journal

“Christian monogamy and property rights have been crucial to state and federal policies on marriage ever since the American republic was born, and how Americans have felt about marriage has affected much larger developments than the joining of one man and one woman in matrimony...[According to Public Vows,] marriage is now much less a matter of public policy--an institution--than one of private accommodation--a contract. Cott's cool, intelligent overview is sometimes demanding but always absorbing.”―Ray Olson, Booklist

“As a historian, Nancy Cott is not obligated to look into the future. But her incisive illumination and readable analysis of the weight of history will help both scholars and activists who wish to understand and help shape the future of marriage and family life.”―E. Kay Trimberger, Women's Review of Books

About the Author

Nancy F. Cott is Professor of History at Harvard University.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Harvard University Press
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ March 8, 2002
  • Edition ‏ : ‎ Revised ed.
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 304 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0674008758
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0674008755
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 15.2 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.14 x 0.76 x 9.21 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.0 out of 5 stars 30 ratings

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Nancy F. Cott

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Top reviews from the United States

  • MP
    5.0 out of 5 stars Strong, Detailed Historical Discussion
    Reviewed in the United States on January 20, 2004
    Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
    Although the institution of "marriage" among humans is generally considered to be thousands of years old, it has a much shorter history as a public insitution in the United States. Nancy Cott's book dives straight into the history of marriage in the U.S., from early societal attitudes and government regulation during the push westward to later government attempts to reign in those with differing sexual mores throughout the 18th century. Her discusison of the state of marriage in the 20th century is equally revealing.

    Cott weaves a tale with many facts that few people are probably aware of: that marriage was frequently unregulated in early America, that divorce was relatively common (but frowned upon), and that religious and utopian communities were challenging the status quo of marriage and state control of the institution from very early on in our nation's history. She makes the best case I've ever heard for proving that marriage is a public institution subject to the will of the state and men in power, transformed and changed over decades by government, often for purposes of exercising control over the population (especially women) and for imposing on the nation the perceived natural order of things.

    Marriage may be ancient in origin, but Nancy Cott does an excellent job in the end of showing that "marriage" in the U.S. did not simply grow organically from these ancient traditions, and that government is capable of altering the institution for its own purposes as it sees fit, regardless of what might truly be best for society or the individuals in it. While Cott does not explore the impact of her findings on same-sex marriage in great detail, it is very enlightening to understand that debate in view of the changes in marital law over the past 200 years that Cott cleverly elucidates for the reader. Highly recommended for anyone who wants to understand the evolution of the institution of civil marriage in the United States.
    25 people found this helpful
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  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Highly Interesting
    Reviewed in the United States on July 23, 2011
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    This is one of the most interesting books that I've read in a long time. I read it for a college paper I was writing, and found it was not a book that I would just skim, but rather one that I read cover-to-cover. Nancy Cott manages to bring to light tons of historical facts about marriage. As I read some of the reviews that say they didn't learn anything, I have to wonder if these reviewers read the same book. Nancy's book is filled with referenced facts (something like 1/4 of the book is a list of her references), so you can look up the original materials if you think she's biased and presenting a skewed history (or just want to be sure she isn't). While this book is an outstanding example of scholarship, it's also highly accessible - it doesn't read like a text book, so it can be enjoyed by both academics and the rest of us! I'd encourage anyone interested in family studies, gender studies, or the contemporary debate on the government's role in marriage to read this book - the historical perspective it presents will enlighten your thinking.
    6 people found this helpful
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  • James Humphreys
    3.0 out of 5 stars purchased for class
    Reviewed in the United States on December 6, 2012
    Verified Purchase
    required reading for class
    background on why marriage became important in america
    ... ... ... .. ... ... ... ..
    One person found this helpful
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  • Benjamin R Marsh
    4.0 out of 5 stars Good work of history
    Reviewed in the United States on February 12, 2012
    Verified Purchase
    As other reviewers note, this book is a well-researched and, at times, eye-opening examination of the history of marriage in the United States. Cott primarily argues that the present upholding of monogamous marriage between one man and one woman as the norm in the US is as much the product of significant historical legal and political decisions as it is a social standard that every simply accepts. She presents her argument coherently and shows herself to be a thorough historian and thoughtful writer.

    My only quibble is this: she flies through the sexual revolution and the past five decades at breakneck speed while only touching on incredibly important recent developments. She recognizes seismic shifts but does not examine them as closely as she does the formative years of the nation. I would have enjoyed reading a lengthier examination of the past half-century.
    7 people found this helpful
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  • Denise M. Aulik
    1.0 out of 5 stars Inaccurate description.
    Reviewed in the United States on May 24, 2025
    Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
    Product listed as clear of page marks. There was underlining in ink throughout.
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  • name
    5.0 out of 5 stars ok
    Reviewed in the United States on August 14, 2003
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    This book doesn't say anything that most don't already know, that marriage is a form of public institution. The goodness of this book comes from that fact that most people can't really explain exactly how or why marriage is a public institution, and if they can their arguments are short and unsupported. Cott gives us tons of strong evidence and supports her arguments with alot of outside sources, so that the reader can get a real understanding. Of course with all books, there is some bias on the part of the author, but the reader doesn't have to agree with Cott in order to get something out of this book.
    7 people found this helpful
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  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Two thumbs
    Reviewed in the United States on August 7, 2017
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    I will read this one again. 👍👍
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  • Jeff
    5.0 out of 5 stars Deep look into the History of Marriage
    Reviewed in the United States on June 3, 2012
    Format: Paperback
    This is a good book it is pretty much summarizes and adds on to everything that this article here addresses. Great Book though if you want to go into the history of Marriage. [...]
    One person found this helpful
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