#  Advice to Bachelors: Reading about Marriage in the Colonial Chesapeake 

 



Nuran Çinlar

In the second quarter of the eighteenth century, colonists debated two competing marriage ideals: the earlier adaptive ideal with its promise of freedom in matrimonial choice, and the newer, conservative "English" ideal, which promised parents control over their children's marriage choices and more security for their own accumulated wealth and status. This debate, traceable through the colonial press, resulted in the dominance of the "English" ideal and increasing marriage practice according to this ideal. Through choosing what items to circulate for colonists' consideration, the Chesapeake press contributed to a significant social and cultural shift at mid-century.

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