| By Birth or Consent: Children, Law, and the Anglo-American Revolution in Authority Contributor(s): Brewer, Holly (Author) |
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ISBN: 0807858323 ISBN-13: 9780807858325 Publisher: Omohundro Institute and Unc Press OUR PRICE: $40.38 Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats Published: February 2007 Annotation: Brewer explores how the changing legal status of children illuminates the struggle over consent and status in England and America. In the 16th century, people were born into authority and responsibility based on their social status, but by the late 18th century, English and American law began to emphasize contractual relations based on informed consent rather than on status, challenging the old idea of birthright. |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - History | Europe - Great Britain - General - History | United States - Colonial Period (1600-1775) - Law | Legal History |
| Dewey: 346.420 |
| LCCN: 2004019071 |
| Series: Published by the Omohundro Institute of Early American Histo |
| Physical Information: 1.1" H x 5.9" W x 9.2" (1.37 lbs) 408 pages |
| Themes: - Chronological Period - 16th Century - Cultural Region - British Isles - Chronological Period - 17th Century - Chronological Period - 18th Century |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: In mid-sixteenth-century England, people were born into authority and responsibility based on their social status. Thus elite children could designate property or serve in Parliament, while children of the poorer sort might be forced to sign labor contracts or be hanged for arson or picking pockets. By the late eighteenth century, however, English and American law began to emphasize contractual relations based on informed consent rather than on birth status. In By Birth or Consent, Holly Brewer explores how the changing legal status of children illuminates the struggle over consent and status in England and America. As it emerged through religious, political, and legal debates, the concept of meaningful consent challenged the older order of birthright and became central to the development of democratic political theory. The struggle over meaningful consent had tremendous political and social consequences, affecting the whole order of society. It granted new powers to fathers and guardians at the same time that it challenged those of masters and kings. Brewer's analysis reshapes the debate about the origins of modern political ideology and makes connections between Reformation religious debates, Enlightenment philosophy, and democratic political theory. In mid-sixteenth-century England, people were born into authority and responsibility based on their social status. By the late eighteenth century, however, English and American law began to emphasize contractual relations based on informed consent rather than on birth status. In By Birth or Consent, Holly Brewer explores how the changing legal status of children illuminates the debates over consent and status in England and America. The struggle over meaningful consent had tremendous political and social consequences, affecting the whole order of society. As it emerged through religious, political, and legal debates, the concept of meaningful consent challenged the older order of birthright and became central to the development of democratic political theory. |
Contributor Bio(s): Brewer, Holly: - Holly Brewer is associate professor of history and Burke Chair of American History at the University of Maryland. |