Horsewhipping approved for misbehaving wives

“In the early 1860s, North Carolina Chief Justice Richmond Pearson denied the divorce petition of a woman who claimed her husband had horsewhipped her. He noted in his decision: ‘The law gives the husband power to use the degree of force necessary to make the wife behave and know her place.’ ”

— From “Southern Culture: An Introduction” by John Beck, Wendy Jean Frandsen and Aaron Randall (2009)

One thought on “Horsewhipping approved for misbehaving wives”

  1. God Help Me, but I am so happy that I was born in this day and age. A man whip me with anything, and chances are very grim that he’ll come out of that decision unscathed.

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