Question

Which of the following made New York the first state to grant women the right to own property?

• A. The Nineteenth Amendment, 1920
• B. The Married Women's Property Act, 1848
• C. The Emancipation Proclamation, 1863
• D. The Seneca Falls Declaration of Sentiments, 1848
• E. The Fourteenth Amendment, 1868

Answer 1

The correct option is B The Married Women's Property Act, 1848

The Married Women's Property Act, 1848 made New York the first state to grant women the right to own property. Before married women's property acts were passed, upon marriage a woman lost any right to control property that was hers prior to the marriage, nor did she have rights to acquire any property during marriage. These laws did make it possible for a married woman to have separate use of property she brought into marriage and property she acquired or inherited during marriage.