Question

"Coverture" refers to:
a. a woman’s responsibility to wear a scarf covering her head when in public.
b. knowing your place in society, especially at church when sitting in the pews.
c. a tax one pays on one’s property that is assessed quarterly.
d. a woman surrendering her legal identity to her husband when she marries.
e. a binding legal agreement between an indentured servant and his or her master.

Answer 1

Answer:

D. a woman surrendering her legal identity when she marries.

Explanation:

Coverture was a legal doctrine that established the legal status of a married woman. According to the doctrine, once a woman got married, she had to surrender her legal identity to her husband, that is, her legal ability to execute a will, enter into contracts, own, control and sell a property, sue or be sued in her own behalf, among others. The husband, on the other hand, was given the authority to make all legal decisions, even without the wife's consent.