In 1629, they created a tribunal that dealt with divorces only. For example, “The concept of divorce is as ancient as the concept of marriage itself. In ancient Mesopotamia, the husband-to-be and his future father-in-law would draw up a contract prior to the wedding. The contract stipulated all legal aspects of the marriage, including how much money the father-in-law would receive in exchange for his daughter.” This legislative body was permitted to grant divorces on the ground of many things. For example, adultery, abandonment, and even impotence were legitimate reasons for divorce for colonists. However, southern colonies tried to prevent divorce from occurring, even when legislation was in place. As early as 1903, The Inter-Church Conference on Marriage and Divorce was formed to use religious aspects to help minimize …show more content…
Divorce is a process that happens over time, so the impact also occurs over time as well. Many children of divorce began showing a difference in both academic and behavior performance. There have been studies that report that children of divorce are more aggressive, more likely to be depressed, and having onset of learning disabilities. However, according to Bettelheim, “This challenge is not as great as widespread preconceptions would suggest. Studies conducted in the past 20 years have shown that on all meaningful measures of success -- social, economic, intellectual and psychological -- most adult children from divorced families are no worse off than their peers whose parents remained married”( p. A27 ). Yet, it is evident that a decrease in parents ' income can directly affect the children involved. For example, a child who was once able to participate in extracurricular activities may no longer be able to do so because one income is now used to support a household that was supported by two incomes. This can also affect the child receiving proper nutrition, medical attention, clothing, and school choices in the future. Likewise, a stay at home parent may be forced to return to work, causing a child to become a latch-key baby or spend time in day care. Likewise, High divorce rates come with social consequences. Many religious and political leaders have pointed to