Coverture is a dirty word for women and their rights
Advertisement
Abigail Adams alluded to coverture in her famous
Americans should know about coverture not just to understand the obstacles 18th-century women faced or the limits of 'revolution' in 1776, but also because coverture has never been fully abolished in this country. Passing an Equal Rights Amendment would reverse this revolutionary-era inequality. Wouldn't that be a fitting act to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution?
Advertisement
Catherine Allgor
Cambridge
The writer is president emerita of the Massachusetts Historical Society and a visiting scholar of history at Tufts University.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
7 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Merz gets warm welcome from Trump at the Oval Office
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz sought to strengthen ties with the United States during a meeting with US President Donald Trump at the White House on Thursday. "We are having so much in common our history. We owe the Americans a lot. We will never forget that," Merz said during a press briefing with Trump in the Oval Office in Washington, referring in part to Trump's German heritage. Trump flattered his guest, calling him a "very respected man." "We're going to have a great relationship with your country," the US president said. A different tone from previous visits Trump adopted a notably friendly tone during the meeting - a major contrast to two previous visits. When Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa were in the Oval Office earlier this year, Trump berated his guests. On key issues such as Ukraine and defence spending, Trump struck conciliatory notes. The Republican remarked that Merz had won "a great election" and joked that Merz could be a "difficult." "You wouldn't want me to say you're easy, right?" the president quipped. " negotiator. Trump joked that Merz was "difficult" but called him a great representative of Germany. The usually combative US president, known for provocative or dismissive remarks about his counterparts, presented himself as particularly mild-mannered. Trump even praised Germany's defence efforts, which he had previously sharply criticized sharply - and also complimented the chancellor on his English. Allegations from Vice President JD Vance that Germany restricts freedom of expression and marginalizes parties like the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) were not raised - even though Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio were at the event. Merz had been prepared to refute them. "You speak such good English. Is it as good as your German would you say? Trump asked. That provoked some laughs from both Merz and the reporters in the room. "No, it's not my mother tongue, but I try to to understand almost everything, and yeah, to speak as good as I can, the chancellor replied. How well do Trump and Merz know each other? The two had only briefly met once many years ago in New York. Since Merz took office four weeks ago, they have spoken multiple times on the phone – both one-on-one and in larger groups about the war in Ukraine. According to German sources, Merz now has the US president's mobile number, exchanges text messages with him regularly, and addresses him by his first name. Until now, Trump has primarily relied on French President Emmanuel Macron and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni as his main European contacts. Merz now aims to step into a leadership role, hoping his phone number will become Europe's go-to one. Merz spoke surprisingly openly about their first one-on-one phone call during the WDR Europe Forum a few days ago. The two reportedly discussed topics such as the American pope and the US city of Chicago, which both have a fondness for. Merz knows the United States well and once worked for the US investment firm, BlackRock. His private-sector background is something he shares with Trump, who was a real estate entrepreneur. Controversial topics avoided At the Oval Office press encounter, Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio stood alongside Trump. These are the same government members who recently accused Germany and other European allies of restricting freedom of expression and marginalizing parties like the AfD. Before his visit to Washington, Merz had made it clear that he considered the criticism from the US over how the German government is dealing with the AFD "overreaching" but that topic was absent in the Oval Office. A journalist attempted to ask about it but was unable to get through. Around 50 media representatives were present in the Oval Office. Merz appeared at the White House without an interpreter – a gesture to build trust. However, the chancellor had sought advice in advance from several heads of state and government who had already met Trump, including Zelensky, Ramaphosa, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, and Finnish President Alexander Stubb. What was the top topic of the visit? Efforts to end the war in Ukraine were the main focus. Merz has positioned himself among the leading Europeans on this issue but has recently expressed frustration over the lack of progress. Trump sees Merz as an ally on the matter. Like him, Merz would like to see the fighting stop, Trump said. Both are unhappy that this does not currently seem likely. However, Trump expressed optimism, saying that at some point the "bloodshed" would come to an end. Once again, he left open the question of whether he was prepared to impose new sanctions on Russia - but also did not rule out sanctions on both parties. "It could be on both countries – it takes two to tango," Trump said. Merz, however, was clear that Russia is the agressor and instigator of the conflict, while Trump was not so unequivacal. "We are on the side of Ukraine," Merz said, adding that Germany and the European Union are "trying to make them stronger and stronger." Later in the press conference German Chancellor Friedrich Merz did not stress the differences. "We both agree on this war and how terrible this war is going on and we are both looking for ways to stop it very soon." Senate bill on US sanctions on Russia Trump said he hadn't read the Senate bill on US sanctions, drafted by Lindsey Graham, a Republican and Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat, but said "they'll be guided by me. That's the way it's supposed to be." The US has a three-body form of government, which includes the judiciary, the legislative and executive branches - with each supposed to check each other, though Trump critics have warned that he, as chief exectuive, he is usurping power from the other branches. Trump said he would have the Russia-Ukraine war stopped before he took office and had then claimed he could end it within 24 hours.
Yahoo
7 minutes ago
- Yahoo
What 12 countries are part of President Trump's travel ban? Here's the new list
President Donald Trump issued a decree this week that suspends and limits the ability of nationals of 12 countries to enter the United States. 'President Trump is fulfilling his promise to protect Americans from dangerous foreign actors that want to come to our country and cause us harm,' White House deputy press secretary Abigail Jackson wrote on X. 'These commonsense restrictions are country-specific and include places that lack proper vetting, exhibit high visa overstay rates, or fail to share identity and threat information.' Here are the 12 countries with full restrictions: Seven countries have partial restrictions: This article originally appeared on The List Wire: Citizens from these 12 countries have been banned from entering U.S.
CNN
8 minutes ago
- CNN
Why Tesla now needs the EV tax credit that Musk once said should go away
It wasn't long ago that Tesla CEO Elon Musk was advocating for ending the $7,500 tax credit for buyers of electric vehicles. 'Take away the subsidies. It will only help Tesla,' he said in a post on his social media platform X last year, adding 'Also remove the subsidies from all industries!' But now, with House budget and tax bill known as the 'big, beautiful bill' proposing to end that tax credit, he and Tesla are suddenly arguing for the continuation of those same credits as the Senate debates its own version of the bill. 'Abruptly ending the energy tax credits would threaten America's energy independence and the reliability of our grid' said Tesla's solar power unit in its own post on X late last month. 'There is no change to tax incentives for oil & gas, just EV/solar,' Musk said in a follow-up post. The turnabout may have to do with the recent financial troubles at Tesla. Many experts believed that getting rid of the EV tax credit would hurt legacy automakers, which continue to lose money on their EV operations, more than it would hurt Tesla. But Tesla's sales took a nosedive this year, and it needs the credits to maintain buyer demand. The battle over EV tax credits, and Musk's broader opposition to the Republicans' budget and taxation bill, has caused a major split between President Donald Trump and Musk – a member of the administration's inner circle as recently as last week. The outcome could endanger the key legislative priority of Trump and Republicans. It could also be affect the finances of the beleaguered Tesla. Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson have both suggested that the loss of federal support for EV's is driving Musk's opposition to the bill. 'Elon and I had a great relationship, I don't know if we will anymore,' Trump told reporters Thursday. 'I am very disappointed. Elon knew the inner workings of this bill… all of a sudden he had a problem and he only developed the problem after he found out we had to cut the EV mandate.' Despite Trump's reference to an EV mandate, there has never been a federal rule requiring Americans buy EVs rather than gasoline-powered cars. But the Biden administration did pass the $7,500 EV tax credit in an effort to spur demand for EVs. Musk immediately denied removal of the EV tax credit was the reason for his opposition to the bill. 'Keep the EV/solar incentive cuts in the bill, even though no oil & gas subsidies are touched (very unfair!!), but ditch the MOUNTAIN of DISGUSTING PORK in the bill,' he posted on X shortly after Trump's remarks. Tesla shares (TSLA) fell 14% following the exchange. Musk has focused most of his criticism on how the domestic policy bill would balloon the deficit. However, he is also no longer is arguing that ending the EV tax credit would be good for Tesla. Tesla did not respond to a request for comment. However, Musk's shift on the EV tax credit likely reflects changes at Tesla since late last year. Backlash to Musk's political activities played a major role in the company's recent sales troubles, including its first drop in annual sales in 2024 and its biggest ever drop in its sales during the first three months of the year. That resulted in a 71% plunge in net income in the first quarter. While the $7,500 EV tax credit goes to car buyers, it indirectly benefits EV makers by increasing demand. When an earlier version was phased out in 2019, Tesla was forced to cut prices to keep buyers interested. It's not just Musk who changed his opinion on the credit's important to Tesla. The same analysts who once believed removing the EV tax credit would help Tesla are now concerned over its loss. In a note to clients the day after the election, Garrett Nelson, an analyst for CFRA Research, wrote that ending the credit 'will widen Tesla's competitive moat by making competing EV models even more uneconomic, as we believe (Tesla) is the only profitable manufacturer of EVs.' But now, Nelson is expressing worry over Tesla's value if the credits go away. 'Our view is the 'Big Beautiful Bill' would be a net negative for Tesla, as tax credits for EVs, energy storage and solar would be going away,' Nelson said in response to questions from CNN. 'That, and ongoing EV market share losses in China and Europe, are some of the primary reasons why we downgraded the stock in April.' Still, despite cutting his price target for Tesla, Nelson still has a buy recommendation on Tesla shares, as does Dan Ives, another Tesla bull. The tech analyst for Wedbush Securities said the change in finances at Tesla make the tax credits more important than in the past. 'Musk has definitely changed his tune from earlier on this,' Ives told CNN. 'The reality is it will hurt Tesla less than other EV makers, but it will still hurt. And Tesla needs all of the demand help it can get.' Under current bill language, the tax credit remains in place for upstart EV makers like Rivian and Lucid but goes away for Tesla and most legacy automakers, said John Murphy, auto analyst at Bank of America. But he said the greatest challenge for Tesla is that demand for EV among American buyers appears to have stalled. 'I think 8% market share might be the high water mark for EV,' he said at a presentation Wedneday, speaking about overall demand for electric vehicles in the US market. Because of that, and the lack of new Tesla models, especially a lower-priced version that had been promised, 'I think (Musk) is going to be challenged to grow volume.'
