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This. Marriage certificates were invented by the government originally to prevent white and black people from marrying. Their only purpose seems to be to oppres

This. Marriage certificates were invented by the government originally to prevent white and black people from marrying. Their only purpose seems to be to oppress.

GabrielF00 11y ago
Some googling shows this to be, at best, partially true. While marriage license requirements were used to prevent miscegenation, they were not invented for that purpose and they have been used for other purposes. >Not until the 16th century did European states begin to require that marriages be performed under legal auspices. In part, this was an attempt to prevent unions between young adults whose parents opposed their match. >The American colonies officially required marriages to be registered, but until the mid-19th century, state supreme courts routinely ruled that public cohabitation was sufficient evidence of a valid marriage. By the later part of that century, however, the United States began to nullify common-law marriages and exert more control over who was allowed to marry. >By the 1920s, 38 states prohibited whites from marrying blacks, “mulattos,” Japanese, Chinese, Indians, “Mongolians,” “Malays” or Filipinos. Twelve states would not issue a marriage license if one partner was a drunk, an addict or a “mental defect.” Eighteen states set barriers to remarriage after divorce. >In the mid-20th century, governments began to get out of the business of deciding which couples were “fit” to marry. Courts invalidated laws against interracial marriage, struck down other barriers and even extended marriage rights to prisoners. >But governments began relying on marriage licenses for a new purpose: as a way of distributing resources to dependents. The Social Security Act provided survivors’ benefits with proof of marriage. Employers used marital status to determine whether they would provide health insurance or pension benefits to employees’ dependents. Courts and hospitals required a marriage license before granting couples the privilege of inheriting from each other or receiving medical information. Source: [http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/26/opinion/26coontz.html http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/26/opinion/26coontz.html]
- natmaster 11y ago
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-miscegenation_laws_in_the_United_States http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-miscegenation_laws_in_the_... The context here is United States. I don't know anything about European marriage nor is it relevant to this conversation.
  - GabrielF00 11y ago
    This Yale Law Journal article outlines the arguments made by 19th century state courts on both sides of the common law marriage issue: [http://www.jstor.org/stable/797340 http://www.jstor.org/stable/797340]
tomjakubowski 11y ago
> Marriage certificates were invented by the government originally to prevent white and black people from marrying. Their only purpose seems to be to oppress. This is a remarkable claim. Do you have a source backing it up? Bear in mind that marriage certificates exist in many countries which, historically and today, do not have very many black citizens or white citizens.

This. Marriage certificates were invented by the government originally to prevent white and black people from marrying. Their only purpose seems to be to oppress.

GabrielF00 11y ago

Some googling shows this to be, at best, partially true. While marriage license requirements were used to prevent miscegenation, they were not invented for that purpose and they have been used for other purposes. >Not until the 16th century did European states begin to require that marriages be performed under legal auspices. In part, this was an attempt to prevent unions between young adults whose parents opposed their match. >The American colonies officially required marriages to be registered, but until the mid-19th century, state supreme courts routinely ruled that public cohabitation was sufficient evidence of a valid marriage. By the later part of that century, however, the United States began to nullify common-law marriages and exert more control over who was allowed to marry. >By the 1920s, 38 states prohibited whites from marrying blacks, “mulattos,” Japanese, Chinese, Indians, “Mongolians,” “Malays” or Filipinos. Twelve states would not issue a marriage license if one partner was a drunk, an addict or a “mental defect.” Eighteen states set barriers to remarriage after divorce. >In the mid-20th century, governments began to get out of the business of deciding which couples were “fit” to marry. Courts invalidated laws against interracial marriage, struck down other barriers and even extended marriage rights to prisoners. >But governments began relying on marriage licenses for a new purpose: as a way of distributing resources to dependents. The Social Security Act provided survivors’ benefits with proof of marriage. Employers used marital status to determine whether they would provide health insurance or pension benefits to employees’ dependents. Courts and hospitals required a marriage license before granting couples the privilege of inheriting from each other or receiving medical information. Source: [http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/26/opinion/26coontz.html http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/26/opinion/26coontz.html]

natmaster 11y ago
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-miscegenation_laws_in_the_United_States http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-miscegenation_laws_in_the_... The context here is United States. I don't know anything about European marriage nor is it relevant to this conversation.
- GabrielF00 11y ago
  This Yale Law Journal article outlines the arguments made by 19th century state courts on both sides of the common law marriage issue: [http://www.jstor.org/stable/797340 http://www.jstor.org/stable/797340]

tomjakubowski 11y ago

> Marriage certificates were invented by the government originally to prevent white and black people from marrying. Their only purpose seems to be to oppress. This is a remarkable claim. Do you have a source backing it up? Bear in mind that marriage certificates exist in many countries which, historically and today, do not have very many black citizens or white citizens.