Barbara J. Hart's Legal Argument Against Domestic Violence

Throughout, the years domestic violence was viewed as a family affair, and should only concern the family, but slowly laws have been passed to insure the safety of people that may fall victim. The United States followed after the European life-style of allowing men to beat their wife, and at the time referred as “men’s violence against their wife”. In the academic journal Legal Advocacy Against Domestic Violence by Barbara J. Hart she mentioned “In 1824 the Mississippi Supreme Court in Bradley v. State voiced approval of the husband's role as disciplinarian and stated its belief that the law should not disturb that role”(pg.3). As a result, numerous homes were open to domestic violence since it was viewed as a way to correct your wife of her wrong doings. Although, there was a solution at the time

Although, Maryland passed the law it was still common to abuse your wife, due to the fact that plenty officers did not take it seriously, and did not report it. The idea was as long as the abuse was not deadly it was not abuse, as a result, many men did not fear the idea of being punished for beating their wife. It was until the 1970’s when women begin to see spousal abuse as a public issue not private. This started a new idea of the Battered Women’s Movement, which would place restrictions, provide a home for battered women, and harsher punishments on spousal abuse. This lead to the first Women’s advocate shelter that was opened in 1973 for any women that was being abused by their spouse. Time continued to pass and many law enforcement still did not know how to handle domestic violence cases, it was just seen as go home, try harder, and maybe you would not be beaten. The idea still stood as a family issue, and not