Anti-miscegenation laws

Anti-miscegenation laws are laws that prohibit marriages and sometimes relationships between people of different racial or ethnic backgrounds. These laws were historically enacted to maintain racial segregation and uphold white supremacy, especially in the United States. They criminalized or restricted such unions, often leading to fines or imprisonment for those involved. Many of these laws have been repealed or struck down as unconstitutional, especially after important court rulings like Loving v. Virginia (1967), which declared bans on interracial marriage unconstitutional. Today, these laws are recognized as violations of individual rights and equality.