What is marriage? Marriage is the moment when people are united as husband and wife in a consensual and contractual relationship recognized by law. Marriage has not always been as it is today, where women have a say in family issues and women have the right to choose who they want to marry. Before, in ancient times, women had to marry their family members and could not marry those who did. Marriage was about doing what you needed to provide for your family, which meant you married someone who was able to give you what you had. necessary. Marriage wasn't because you loved someone, but it was always because people wanted to preserve power. Today in marriage, people get married because they love each other and because they want to make an effort to spend the rest of their lives together. During the Mesopotamia period, the first recorded marriage contract and ceremony dates back 4,000 years ago. The wife had no rights in their marriage, even the lower classes had no say in the marriage, and therefore wives could not divorce unless the husband requested it. Husbands were allowed to divorce their wives if they failed to fulfill their duties (give birth to children). During the Mesopotamian period, marriage was not because the two people loved each other, but because of the preservation of power, the fathers of the ruling class did it. even marry off their daughters. In doing so, it allowed families to form alliances, acquire land, and produce legitimate heirs. The future husband and the bride's father agreed on a contract which was the price for the girl's hand. If the marriage did not go well and they divorced, the father-in-law was entitled to satisfaction. The contract they made said that if a child was not born, the husband would receive... middle of paper ......013. “The Roman family”. Roman family. Np, and Web. November 7, 2013. “The Story of Marriage.” » About.com Marriage. Np and Web. November 7, 2013. “History of Beijing”. Beijing made it easy. Np, and Web. November 7, 2013. “63 Best Blogs About Family Law and Divorce.” » Total Divorce Blog RSS. Np, and Web. November 7, 2013. "History.org: Official history and citizenship website of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation." » Courtship and Marriage in the 18th Century: Williamsburg's official colonial history and citizenship site. Np, and Web. November 7, 2013History of marriage. History of marriage. Np, and Web. Nov. 7, 2013 “Marriage in the 19th century.” Marriage in the 19th century Np nd Web. November 7, 2013. “Traditions”. Traditional Chinese weddings. Np, and Web. November 3, 2013. “Word Wednesday: The Power of Marriage by Ronald Reagan |. » Np, and Web. November 3. 2013.