Connubial Adventurers: Playing the Matrimonial Lottery in British America

The connection between marriage and lotteries emerged with the first British state lotteries and persisted throughout the eighteenth century in British America, despite the well documented rise of companionate marriage. Drawing extensively on newspapers rather than fiction or prescriptive literature, Keiter reveals a deep current of skepticism about these changing ideals. Lottery analogies and satirical lottery schemes circulated widely, showing a shared set of expectations and concerns in the young nation. These tropes emphasized the continued centrality of wealth to marriage while suggesting that marital happiness remained a gamble with unfavorable odds.

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Work Title Connubial Adventurers: Playing the Matrimonial Lottery in British America
Access
Open Access
Creators
  1. Lindsay M. Keiter
Keyword
  1. Marriage
  2. Gambling
  3. Lotteries
  4. British America
  5. British colonies
  6. Early Republic
  7. Newspapers
  8. Satire
  9. Humor
  10. Gender
  11. Advertisements
  12. Coverture
  13. Risk
  14. Courtship
License In Copyright (Rights Reserved)
Work Type Article
Publisher
  1. Early American Studies: An Interdisciplinary Journal
Publication Date 2023
Publisher Identifier (DOI)
  1. https://doi.org/10.1353/eam.2023.0000
Deposited September 01, 2023

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Version 1
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  • Created
  • Added EAS_Connubial_Adventurers_Accepted_Verson_RB_6-30-22_LMK_7-5-22_RB_7-26-22_LMK_8-1-22_RB_8-21-22_64_LMK_8_27_8_31.docx
  • Added Creator Lindsay M. Keiter
  • Published
  • Updated Keyword, Publisher, Publication Date Show Changes
    Keyword
    • Marriage, Gambling, Lotteries, British America, British colonies, Early Republic, Newspapers, Satire, Humor, Gender, Advertisements, Coverture, Risk, Courtship
    Publisher
    • Early American Studies
    • Early American Studies: An Interdisciplinary Journal
    Publication Date
    • 2024-02-01
    • 2023
  • Updated