Download or read book Private Acts in Public Places written by Richard H. Chused and published by University of Pennsylvania Press. This book was released on 2015-07-28 with total page 244 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Richard H. Chused examines more than 1300 petitions for divorce in Maryland filed during the first half of the nineteenth century. By weaving together information on the legislative handling of these petitions, the voting patterns of the state legislators, and the judicial treatment of related disputes, Chused shows the connections between politics, regional differences, and the development of American family law. His analysis also provides valuable insights into the social history of the time, a period when traditional Southern family values were at odds with the more modern values brought about by urbanization.