CLEP US History I

Category - Society

Which of the following actions would allow a woman to retain the most wealth and freedom during the colonial era?
  1. Being the wife of a town official
  2. Never marrying
  3. Being the daughter of a prominent family
  4. Remarrying after being widowed
  5. Staying single after being widowed
Explanation
Answer: B - In many colonies, unmarried women could maintain property, so women who never married could maintain their wealth and status. Women ceded control of property to their husbands after marriage and had very little power over their lives as daughters. Widows were entitled to one third of their husband's property, and his share would go to their children, even if the widow remarried. Women in the colonies had far more rights than their English counterparts and greater opportunity for social advancement.
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