The age of 18 is identified in the Jewish Talmud as the age of adulthood in relation to sound judgment in making monetary decisions as a judge. [7] Here the Talmud says that every sentence pronounced against Josiah, the sixteenth king of Judah (c. 640-609), from the age of eight when he was crowned until the age of eighteen was annulled, and he returned the money to the parties he considered responsible, fearing that in his youth he had not judged the cases correctly. Other Jewish commentators have debated whether the age of 13 or 18 is the age to make decisions in a Jewish court. [8] The age of majority refers exclusively to the acquisition of legal control over the person, decisions and actions and the corresponding cessation of the legal authority of the parents (or guardians instead of the parents) over the person and affairs of the child in general. As for the general age, most developed countries in the world consider someone to be an adult, it is usually (somewhat arbitrarily) set at 18. The exceptions are countries like Iran and Saudi Arabia, where he is 15, Cuba, where he is 16, and North Korea, where he is 17. From a religious perspective, historically, 13 years for men and 12 years for women were considered the age of majority in Judaism – essentially consistent with the time when most of these sexes would have matured reproductively. So if 18 is the age of adulthood, why is 21 the legal drinking age? It is not entirely clear why this was the era of British common law. One claim is that it goes back to the time when squires could become knights.

However, if this is true, it seems to be a consequence rather than a derivation, as this was essentially at the time when minors were considered „adults“. In addition, there are certainly many well-known exceptions in which individuals were considered knights before this age. It seems more likely that this was simply the age at which it was generally observed that people began to reach sufficient mental maturity to no longer require direct supervision. The age of 18 has been the age of majority since the 26th Amendment, which was signed into law by President Nixon in July 1971. Historically, the age of majority was 21, but when Franklin D. Roosevelt lowered the military age to 18 during World War II, there was pressure to align the voting age with military seniority. Why are you considered an adult in most parts of the world when you are 18 years old? In summary, people have long assumed that this is at the age when most people reach a level of maturity and basic knowledge to be fully responsible for themselves and their own actions, even though these individuals will be much more mature and better equipped to meet the challenges of adulthood, even a decade later. This will always be true, regardless of your age, if you are constantly improving. But a baseline was needed, so a number was chosen for some official purposes, even if it is not perfect in all cases. Apparently, just because a person has become sexually mature doesn`t mean they`re necessarily mentally mature enough to be considered an adult, most cultures today choose a higher age of majority. As for the age of consent, in the Western world (and in general) before imperial Rome, girls were considered mature enough for marriage and sex when they started menstruating (and boys, by the way, when they developed pubic hair). The legal age is also called the age of majority.

This is the age at which a person acquires the legal status of an adult. The legal age is determined by state law and may vary from state to state. However, almost all states set the basic legal age at 18. This is the age at which a person takes control of their own actions and affairs and becomes responsible for the decisions they make. People over the legal age of majority are generally tried as adults when charged with crimes. Once this age is reached, all existing maintenance obligations of parents, guardians and children are deemed to have ended. However, minors may acquire the status of legal majority before reaching the age of majority if they obtain a court decision on emancipation or if they meet exceptions defined by law, such as marriage as a minor or the acquisition of certain qualifications. It`s a question Apryl Alexander, a professor of psychology at the University of Denver, often receives from his graduate students, and one that has become even more difficult with growing research into adolescent brain development. The age of majority can be confused with the similar concept of the age of bachelor`s degree,[1] which also refers to the threshold of adulthood, but in a much broader and abstract way. As a legal term in art, „license“ means „permission“ and may imply a legally enforceable right or privilege.

So a licensing age is an age at which you have legal permission from the government to do something. The age of majority, on the other hand, is the legal recognition that you have grown up. [2] For example, Alexander the Great, at the age of only 16, was busy conquering Maedi when they dared to revolt against Macedonia; Also at the age of 16, a peasant woman named Joan of Arc took her first steps in history by having the nerve to approach a garrison commander to tell him how to do his job. At the age of 15, a certain Charles Algernon Parsons was busy inventing the precursor of the modern automobile. At the age of 16, Julius Caesar led his family after his father`s death. History is littered with individuals who have accomplished remarkable „adult“ things, all below the age that most countries today would say are mature enough to be considered adults. Not surprisingly, for some parts of the story, the question of when someone was willing to undertake various adult activities was largely a matter for their family. But it has also fueled confusion about what young adults are allowed to do when scientists know they use less restraint and discipline than older people, said Warren Binford, a law professor at Willamette University and founder of the school`s Child and Family Advocacy Clinic.