[lit-ideas] Re: Age of Majority by State

It has always amazed me that someone can be old enough to vote, marry, go  to 
war and kill people and get shot at or blown up, but they can't have a glass  
of wine.  
 
Julie Krueger

========Original  Message========     Subj: [lit-ideas] Re: Age of Majority 
by State  Date: 10/29/2006 9:41:24 P.M. Central Standard Time  From: 
_rpaul@xxxxxxxxx (mailto:rpaul@xxxxxxxx)   To: _lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx 
(mailto:lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx)   Sent on:    
> Most are 18, three are 19 and two are  21.

The age of majority is not identical with 'the age of consent.'  Sometimes
they're the same but where they differ the age of consent is always  lower.
There are Federal laws about this but they're written so that the  States 
still
have some leeway in legislating. Generally, the Federal age of  consent is 18.

In some states the age of consent is 16; but it can be  lower, and when it is,
what matters is the age discrepancy between the older  party and the younger
party.

Eighteen is almost always the age for  being able to do anything you
want without your parents' or your guardian's  consent--except when it comes 
to
drinking, and Federal legislation has  imposed a nationwide minimum 'drinking
age' of 21.

The 26th Amendment  set a voting eligibility limit of 18; i.e., the states 
can't
make it higher  (although they can make it lower).

Robert Paul
Reed  College

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