QUICK OVERVIEW: HISTORY OF INTERRACIAL MARRIAGES
- 1661- Maryland was the first State to prohibit marriage between whites and "colored" people.
- By the 19th century, 38 States prohibited interracial marriages.
- It wasn't until 1967 that U.S. Supreme Court Justice Earl Warren declared "all miscegenation statutes unconstitutional and in violation of the Fourteenth Amendment” (Long, 909).
Supreme Court case: loving v. virginia
Background Information
- 1958- Richard Loving (a white man) and Mildred Jeter (a black woman) were married in Washington, D.C.
- Upon returning to Virginia, they were scorned and prosecuted.
- Under a law created in 1924 ("An Act to Preserve Racial Integrity") white people were only allowed to marry other white people in the state of Virginia.
- If an interracial couple that was married outside of Virginia entered the state, their marriage was considered illegal as well.
- In addition, the children of interracial couples were considered illegitimate.
Their Sentence
- On January 6th, 1959, the Lovings pleaded guilty and were sentenced to one year in jail.
- Quote from the judge: "Almighty God created the races of White, Black, Yellow, Malay, and Red, and He placed them on separate continents. And but for the interference with His arrangement there would be no cause for such marriages. The fact that He separated the races shows that he did not intend for the races to mix."
- If the Lovings promised to leave Virginia, their sentence would be suspended to 25 years. They moved to the District of Columbia.
- Still, the Lovings were obviously not happy that they couldn't visit their relatives in Virginia.
The U.S. Supreme Court's Decision
- Reversed the decision of Virginia's Supreme Court because "the Constitution of the United States prohibits states from barring interracial marriages."
- Invalidated similar laws in 15 other states!
- June 12, 1967- interracial marriages were no longer illegal in any state!
Information on Loving v. Virginia found from: http://academic.udayton.edu/race/04needs/s98alouis.htm