The Role Of Interracial Marriage In Early America

Forbidden Love: The Hidden History of Mixed-Race America is a text that highlights the racial progression of the United States. In a span of over 400 years, the author Gary Nash cites many instances of interracial relationships. This abundance of examples serves to show a contrast in America between government measures and social occurrences. A story such as that of John Rolfe and Pocahontas is used to show how "[their union] could have become the beginning of an open racially intermixed United States" (6). Very soon after, however, events such as those surrounding Sam Houston proved to show that interracial relationships have quickly been discounted from common history lessons. In an effort to illustrate racial progression Nash also cites examples of individuals such as Frederick Douglass. It is important to note that, yes Douglass had first married to a white woman, but this should not overshadow the accomplishments of Douglass 's life. Lastly, Gary Nash writes about "the boundary-crossing revolution". Music is cited as a big factor of this 'boundary crossing '. In the end, a vast majority of these stories are not freely told in a classroom setting or within communities.

”since the beginning of civilization, in every known society, governments have recognized a marriage between a man and a woman because it provides the next generation outstanding citizens and is the only means of melding two sexes into a stronger and more complete whole” (Kaufman 164).

Likewise, the rules regarding interracial marriages stemmed from slavery as well. The book, Virginia Hasn't Always Been for Lovers: Interracial Marriage Bans and the Case of Richard and Mildred Loving, discusses the landmark legal case Loving v Virginia. As a bit of history, the book says, “In the 1600s… to ensure that the line between master and slave would be indelible, the colonists enacted a number of laws. Not least among them were the regulations that prohibited interracial marriage” (Newbeck, 23). So, the laws that were put into place regarding interracial marriages were enacted in order to maintain the power dynamic between black and white people. There was no other logical reason why the ban was in place, other than to continue to oppress the black community and keep them from attaining power and status within the

It was the interracial marriages which made many states change their legislation, lift bans on interracial marriages and made amendments to the existing laws by showing acceptability and leniency to interracial romance. There have been reported cases where individuals from different racial background got married and lost acceptance from both the social groups which made them suffer a great deal. However, over the period of time, their relationship gained acceptance.

Can you imagine not being able to share your life with the person you love because of the color of your skin? Well, this was the case for those who resided in Virginia decades ago. Interracial marriages were not allowed in Virginia and sixteen other states due to the adoption of the Racial Integrity Act of 1924. The sole purpose of this act was to completely prohibit a "white person" marrying other than another "white person". Marriage licenses were not issued until the issuing official is content with the applications statements as to if their races are "correct". Richard Loving, a white man, and Mildred Jeter, a black woman, was not going to let the state of Virginia stop them from being married, so they left

The definition of marriage has changed over time. At the beginning of the nineteenth century, the United States defined marriage as a union between a consenting man and woman, of non-African decent (Stahlberg, 2008, p. 443). This, however, changed after the civil war. In 1868 two consenting adults of opposite gender could marry someone of the same race, but this was also restructured in 1967 to allow marriage of all consenting adults of opposite genders regardless of race (Stahlberg, 2008, p. 443). Today, the law looks very different. Recently, on June 26, 2015, the Supreme Court ruled that same-sex couples have the right to marriage (gay marriage, 2015).

In the year 1924, in the state of Virginia, the Racial Integrity Act was put into law (See Appendix C). There is a very rich and mindful history on why this law was passed. In fact, it was not the first-time Virginia prohibited marriage between races. This was done when Virginia was one of the thirteen colonies. This law banning all inter-racial marriage was first passed in 1691. Also, that by 1913 30 out of the 48 states at the time had a law like this. Also during that time of the passage a group called Anglo-Saxon Clubs of America that lobbied for this bill to be

Anti-Miscegenation laws embraced racial segregation because it was a crime for different races of people to get married. These laws were initiated in the late 17th century and continued until 1967. All of the anti-miscegenation laws in the United States barred marriages that consisted of individuals who were white and those who were considered “non-white.” So a white male and black woman could not have been married or even in a relationship without it being a crime back then. Some examples of miscegenation laws was when Oklahoma in 1908 had a law on books that barred marriages between Africans and non-Africans, 1920, Louisiana barred marriages between blacks and Native Americans, and in 1935, Maryland prohibited the marriages between Filipinos and blacks. (Pascoe, 2009) Two cases that are relevant to miscegenation are Loving v. Virginia and Perez v. Sharp.

In 1958, an interracial couple living in Virginia was arrested after getting married. This started the Supreme Court Case - Loving v. Virginia, which took place in 1967. At that time, interracial marriage was illegal in some states, one of those states being Virginia. In the 1950s, there was a lot of conflict going on. For an example, the civil rights movement was growing, and the campaign against communism revealed the hidden divisions in American society. A group of Americans that is continually growing spoke out against inequality and injustice during the 1950s. African Americans had been fighting against racial discrimination for centuries; during the 1950s, however, the struggle against racism and segregation entered the mainstream of American life. (History, The 1950s) Although they weren’t very common, they were definitely frowned upon by society. The Loving v. Virginia Supreme Court Case changed people’s views on interracial marriage, helped it become legal in every state, and shaped the American culture of today.

Was there ever a period in history where interracial marriages and sex among people of different races was considered illegal? As absurd as this idea sounds, the answer is yes. Astonishingly, less than 40 years ago marrying someone of a different race was considered illegal. Black people could not be with white people- it just couldn’t happen. These statutes date back to colonial times, around the 1600s, which at this time helped to maintain the racial caste system and expand slavery. Two particular landmark cases convey the importance of Anti-Miscegenation Statutes

Societies of culture and different histories from one another in America were once deprived of their essential civil rights along with laws made to separate dissimilar races from white people, this system is known as Jim Crow Laws. Jim Crow Laws were meant to keep certain races, like African Americans, away from the “main” race in numerous conditions, such as education, jobs, transportation, even in marriage. Notably, in the article Jim Crow Laws: Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site it states, “The marriage of a white person with a negro or mulatto or person who shall have one-eighth or more of negro blood, shall be unlawful and void.”(Mississippi SB 198). This law forbad many African Americans and white people from being married

This included mixed marriage. Marriage has a long history in the legislature, whether that being that same sex couples cannot marry, or in this case, a white man cannot marry a black woman or vice versa. This law was implemented in Georgia, Florida, Arizona, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, and Wyoming. This devastated people's lives. The act of marriage has much significance in many cultures. Along with people getting married, in many states it nullified any and all previous marriages under law (“Jim Crow

The economics of slavery played a huge part in creating a taboo around interracial marriages; slave masters did not want to lose their work force of African-Americans. Therefore, laws were created that outlawed interracial marriages and stated that if a person had one drop of black blood you were classified as black. Furthermore, as other racial groups entered American such as Japanese, Chinese and other cultural groups the stereotypes about their religious belief also became a major concerned.

It is really crazy to think that at one-time no one was allowed to marry outside of their own race. The reason I think this is absurd is because we all know race is just a social construction that is purely based on the way someone looks (Eshleman & Bulcroft, 2010, p. 191). We are all part of the human race in my

All marriages between a white person and a negro, or between a white person and a person of negro descent to the fourth generation inclusive, are hereby forever prohibited.