The Development of Marriage essays

The Development of Marriage essays The Development of Marriage The institution of marriage has grown and developed into many acceptable facets. In Merriam Websters online dictionary, the word marriage has two definitions. Definition one is the state of being united to a person of the opposite sex as husband or wife in a consensual and contractual relationship recognized by law. The second definition is the state of being united to a person of the same sex in a relationship like that of a traditional marriage . Over the years of evolvement of the United States, attitudes toward the institution of marriage have changed toward a trend of greater acceptance of non-traditional types. In Colonial America, marriage was thought of as an arranged contract between a prospective husband and a wifes father. In other words, the wife was bought from her father. During 1610, the first anti-sodomy law was passed prohibiting homosexual behavior between men. The US Supreme Court in 1878 ruled against the Mormon concept of complex marriage on the basis that marriage is a civil contract regulated by law. The 20th century sexual revolution yet again changed the ideology of marriage even further. In 1967, a Supreme Court decision in the case of Loving vs. Virginia it ruled the prohibiting interracial marriage is unconstitutional. In 2003 in the Supreme Court, case of Lawrence vs. Gardner struck down the Texas State law banning consensual sex between homosexuals a violation of individuals right to privacy. The practice and Ideology of marriage has changed over the course of development of America. The volatile issue of same sex marriages is now the front runner in the current course of change. Will it be accepted? Only time will tell. ...

How to Use a Colon - Proofeds Academic Writing Tips Blog

How to Use a Colon - Proofeds Academic Writing Tips Blog How to Use a Colon The colon (Â   :Â   ) can be a tricky punctuation mark to use. As such, it is often used in the wrong places. If you want to make sure you are using it correctly in your documents, read on for a comprehensive explanation! When to Use a Colon: Lists You can use a colon to show the reader that a list of items will follow, like so: I went shopping and bought three things: a pen, a dress and a hat. This also applies if the list is bullet pointed or numbered. Its also important to note that you shouldnt use a colon if the list follows a verb or preposition that incorporates the list into the sentence (a common example is including): I went shopping and bought various things, including a pen, a dress and a hat. Correct I went shopping and bought various things, including: a pen, a dress and a hat. Incorrect To Introduce an Example or Clarification A colon can also be used when introducing a new independent clause (i.e., something that could be a sentence by itself) than clarifies or explains the previous sentence. For example: Punctuation is still important: Using a colon in the wrong place can be confusing. To Introduce a Quotation This punctuation mark is common in academic writing, where it is used when introducing a quote. For instance: Moore (1997, p. 86) makes strange claims about the heavens: A sunspot will be carried slowly across the Earth-turned disk, and eventually it will vanish over the limb. Note that a colon should only be used to introduce a quote like this when it follows from a full sentence. They can also be used to introduce block quotes, which start on a new line indented from the main text. Shorter quotes can be incorporated into the flow of your sentence and signaled with quote marks. Capitalization and Colons There are no hard and fast rules for whether you should use a capital letter after a colon, so it is important to check your style guide if youre not sure. A good rule of thumb is to capitalize the first word after a colon if it is part of a complete sentence that could be written separately (especially if the clause preceding the colon is quite short). Its not necessary to capitalize the first item in a list following a colon unless it is a proper noun. If you are in any doubt over your use of punctuation, you can send your paper to the professionals at Proofed. They will provide a full proofreading service and show you clear ways to improve your writing.