SELFISH INTENTIONS - K-REx - Kansas State University

Abstract
In the United States, legal authorities well into the 20 th century wanted to maintain the
integrity of the marriage union; therefore, early divorce laws made it difficult to get divorced.
When two individuals, a man and a woman, signed a marriage contract, their identities as two
individuals became secondary to their identities as husband and wife. The “unit” established by
the marriage was now a matter of public interest and of greater social importance than either
individual. Legally, legislatures writing the laws and the courts enforcing them therefore did
their best to maintain this unit. When one member of the unit petitioned for divorce, in effect
they were claiming the actions of the other member of the unit had violated the legal and sacred
bonds of that unit.
In the late 19 th century, western states, including Kansas began to make more liberal
provisions for divorce. This study will examine those liberal divorce laws in Kansas with a
particular focus on women who, like the Populist orator Mary Elizabeth Lease, used the law to
protect their individual property interests in a marriage. Though such women were by no means
the majority of women who sought divorce, their cases highlight a growing controversy in late
nineteenth century Kansas over the state’s provisions for divorce. The openness of the state’s
divorce laws allowed individuals, including female individuals, to use the law for their own
purposes. Faced with the staggering increase in the Kansas divorce rate by the end of the
century, some judges complained that the law did not adequately protect the state’s interest in
preserving marital unions.
To date, the historiography on divorce has focused on nation-wide trends. By focusing
on Kansas law and the experience of women in the north central part of the state, this study seeks