Property Rites

The Rhinelander Trial, Passing, and the Protection of Whiteness

Nonfiction, Reference & Language, Law, Discrimination, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Cultural Studies, African-American Studies, History, Americas, United States, 20th Century
Cover of the book Property Rites by Elizabeth M. Smith-Pryor, The University of North Carolina Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Elizabeth M. Smith-Pryor ISBN: 9780807894170
Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press Publication: April 30, 2009
Imprint: The University of North Carolina Press Language: English
Author: Elizabeth M. Smith-Pryor
ISBN: 9780807894170
Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press
Publication: April 30, 2009
Imprint: The University of North Carolina Press
Language: English

In 1925 Leonard Rhinelander, the youngest son of a wealthy New York society family, sued to end his marriage to Alice Jones, a former domestic servant and the daughter of a "colored" cabman. After being married only one month, Rhinelander pressed for the dissolution of his marriage on the grounds that his wife had lied to him about her racial background. The subsequent marital annulment trial became a massive public spectacle, not only in New York but across the nation--despite the fact that the state had never outlawed interracial marriage.

Elizabeth Smith-Pryor makes extensive use of trial transcripts, in addition to contemporary newspaper coverage and archival sources, to explore why Leonard Rhinelander was allowed his day in court. She moves fluidly between legal history, a day-by-day narrative of the trial itself, and analyses of the trial's place in the culture of the 1920s North to show how notions of race, property, and the law were--and are--inextricably intertwined.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

In 1925 Leonard Rhinelander, the youngest son of a wealthy New York society family, sued to end his marriage to Alice Jones, a former domestic servant and the daughter of a "colored" cabman. After being married only one month, Rhinelander pressed for the dissolution of his marriage on the grounds that his wife had lied to him about her racial background. The subsequent marital annulment trial became a massive public spectacle, not only in New York but across the nation--despite the fact that the state had never outlawed interracial marriage.

Elizabeth Smith-Pryor makes extensive use of trial transcripts, in addition to contemporary newspaper coverage and archival sources, to explore why Leonard Rhinelander was allowed his day in court. She moves fluidly between legal history, a day-by-day narrative of the trial itself, and analyses of the trial's place in the culture of the 1920s North to show how notions of race, property, and the law were--and are--inextricably intertwined.

More books from The University of North Carolina Press

Cover of the book Prostitution, Modernity, and the Making of the Cuban Republic, 1840-1920 by Elizabeth M. Smith-Pryor
Cover of the book Women and the Historical Enterprise in America: Gender, Race and the Politics of Memory by Elizabeth M. Smith-Pryor
Cover of the book The Eden-Eisenhower Correspondence, 1955-1957 by Elizabeth M. Smith-Pryor
Cover of the book Objects of Culture by Elizabeth M. Smith-Pryor
Cover of the book Life along the Inner Coast by Elizabeth M. Smith-Pryor
Cover of the book The Children's Civil War by Elizabeth M. Smith-Pryor
Cover of the book Psychology and Selfhood in the Segregated South by Elizabeth M. Smith-Pryor
Cover of the book The Southern Tailgating Cookbook by Elizabeth M. Smith-Pryor
Cover of the book Visions of Power in Cuba by Elizabeth M. Smith-Pryor
Cover of the book Ben Mcculloch and the Frontier Military Tradition by Elizabeth M. Smith-Pryor
Cover of the book The Yankee West by Elizabeth M. Smith-Pryor
Cover of the book Federal Fathers and Mothers by Elizabeth M. Smith-Pryor
Cover of the book William Faulkner by Elizabeth M. Smith-Pryor
Cover of the book 'Man Over Money' by Elizabeth M. Smith-Pryor
Cover of the book Home to My Valley by Elizabeth M. Smith-Pryor
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy