"as an intentional and harmonious juncture of individuals for mutual protection, economic advantage, and common interest the marriage bond resembled the social contract that produced government. as a freely chosen structure of authority and obligation, it was an irresistible model. the suitability of the marital metaphor for political union drew tremendous public attention to marriage itself in the revolutionary era. . marital relations were reenvisioned in terms of reciprocal rights and responsibilities rather than formal hierarchy. not protection and obedience, not headship and subordination, but rather the ‘mutual return of conjugal love’ . . between husband and wife defined a happy marriage." -nancy cott, historian, public vows: a history of marriage and the nation, 2000 which of the following was linked to the changes described in the excerpt?
a. the emergence of a republican political economy.
b. churches’ adoption of the covenant of grace.
c. the spread of the republican motherhood idea .
d. gradual emancipation statutes.