Nonmiscegenation

Nonmiscegenation refers to laws or social customs that prohibit or discourage marriage or sexual relations between people of different racial groups. Historically, these laws and customs were most prevalent in societies with rigid racial hierarchies, particularly in the United States, where they were codified as anti-miscegenation statutes.

The term "miscegenation" itself was coined in the 19th century, and anti-miscegenation laws were enacted in many U.S. states throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries. These laws varied in their specifics but generally forbade interracial marriage, often classifying individuals based on perceived racial ancestry. Enforcement of these laws led to numerous prosecutions and legal challenges.

The landmark Supreme Court case Loving v. Virginia in 1967 declared state laws banning interracial marriage unconstitutional, ruling that they violated the Equal Protection and Due Process Clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment. This decision effectively ended legal prohibition of interracial marriage in the United States.

While legal bans on interracial marriage have been overturned in most parts of the world where they existed, social attitudes and informal discouragement of relationships between people of different races can persist in some communities. The legacy of nonmiscegenation laws continues to be a subject of historical and sociological study, reflecting past societal views on race and social control.