Divorces have been happening in the United States for hundreds of years. Although divorce laws have changed over the years, the core concept remains the same. Individuals who no longer want to remain in marriages can leave and start a new chapter in their lives. The very first recorded divorce in the U.S. occurred in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Although this colony no longer exists, it was situated in the New England region. On Jan. 5, 1643, Anne Clark petitioned for a divorce from her husband, Denis Clarke. She approached the Quarter Court of Boston, and details of her marriage were recorded by the court. Eventually, a signed and sealed affidavit was presented to John Wintrop, Jr., the son of the colony’s founder. In this affidavit, Denis Clarke admitted the he had two wives. Apparently, he had abandoned his first wife and their two children in order to pursue a relationship with Anne. He then had two more children with her. Since Denis refused to return to his first wife, the court granted a divorce to Anne. As a result, the first divorce in U.S. history was granted on the grounds of desertion and bigamy. Not only that, but Denis was severely punished by being put into the stocks, fined and then banished by the Puritans, who looked upon divorce with great disdain.
