When did states start to reject the legal justification of wife beating?

The correct answer reflects a significant shift in legal perspectives regarding domestic violence, specifically the notion of wife beating as an accepted practice. By the 1870s, there was a growing recognition among legal scholars and reformers that marriage did not grant one partner the right to physically harm the other. This time period saw the beginnings of legal reforms aimed at protecting women from domestic violence, driven by social movements advocating for women's rights and the growing acknowledgment of domestic abuse as a serious social issue.

Legal systems began to move away from the doctrine of coverture, which historically allowed husbands to exert control over their wives, including the use of physical punishment without legal repercussions. The shift in the 1870s set the groundwork for more comprehensive legal reforms in the following decades, eventually leading to a broader societal rejection of domestic violence and stronger protections for victims.

In contrast, the other time periods mentioned had not yet seen the critical societal and judicial movements necessary for this rejection of wife beating as a legal justification. The 1850s still largely reflected traditional views on marriage and gender roles, while the 1900s and 1920s were later periods where more established legal frameworks and feminist movements would begin to more effectively combat domestic violence, but these advancements were built upon