Nicholas L. Syrett
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- May 2017
- ISBN:
- 9781469629537
- eISBN:
- 9781469629551
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of North Carolina Press
- DOI:
- 10.5149/northcarolina/9781469629537.003.0008
- Subject:
- History, European Medieval History
In 1926 Peaches and Daddy (Frances Heenan and Edward Browning) were married, becoming one of the biggest tabloid sensations of the 1920s. Separated in age by about 40 years, their marriage led to new ...
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In 1926 Peaches and Daddy (Frances Heenan and Edward Browning) were married, becoming one of the biggest tabloid sensations of the 1920s. Separated in age by about 40 years, their marriage led to new understandings of child marriage as a backdoor to illicit sex and to rumors of pedophilia. It also engergized a generation of reformers, feminists, and social workers, most notably Mary Ellen Richmond, who worked tirelessly to eliminate child marriage in language that placed the welfare of the child first. They worked on many fronts, targeting sexually active adolescents and immigrant families especially, despite the fact that native-born white and black girls and boys were more likely to marry as minors. Feminists in the National Woman’s Party also joined in the struggle, working to equalize the age of consent to marriage and the age of majority on the grounds of legal gender equality, not child protection.Less
In 1926 Peaches and Daddy (Frances Heenan and Edward Browning) were married, becoming one of the biggest tabloid sensations of the 1920s. Separated in age by about 40 years, their marriage led to new understandings of child marriage as a backdoor to illicit sex and to rumors of pedophilia. It also engergized a generation of reformers, feminists, and social workers, most notably Mary Ellen Richmond, who worked tirelessly to eliminate child marriage in language that placed the welfare of the child first. They worked on many fronts, targeting sexually active adolescents and immigrant families especially, despite the fact that native-born white and black girls and boys were more likely to marry as minors. Feminists in the National Woman’s Party also joined in the struggle, working to equalize the age of consent to marriage and the age of majority on the grounds of legal gender equality, not child protection.
