HIST 265g Lecture Notes - Lecture 25: Johann Friedrich Blumenbach, Coverture, Legal Personality
Document Summary
Female nakedness ~ not represented in same way across cultures. Berger"s way of seeing- ideal spectator is assumed to be male. Ancient greeks and romans ~ negative perceptions (west & europe) Caucasian (1775 year termed) ~ blumenbach skull (most beautiful) (also used aesthetics) Alabama law ~imprisonment or hard labor for interracial couples. Pace v. alabama ~ punished interracial couples; violated 14th amendment. Race ~ historically contingent (true) (changes over time) Perez v. sharp (1948) ~ perez and davis (couple) Mexicans ~ were not prohibited to marry whites (1850-1933) (only group not to be) Loving v. virginia ~ abolish laws prohibiting interracial marriage (took 20 years from perez v. sharp) Indentured servants ~initially preferred because of financial cost. Coverture ~ married couples constitutes one legal person. 18th century ~ france, haiti, and u. s. all had revolutionary wars of independence. Jefferson ~ believed women were naturally suited to domesticity. Not result of end of slave trade ~ no freedom.
