Anti-miscegenation laws were statutes prohibiting marriage between people of different races. These laws, rooted in racial prejudice and white supremacist ideology, aimed to maintain racial segregation and social hierarchies. Enacting such laws reflected a belief in the inferiority of certain races and a desire to prevent racial mixing. An example is a law specifying that a white person could not legally marry a person of African descent.
The existence of these laws significantly impacted individuals and families, denying them the right to marry the person of their choice. Their enforcement perpetuated discrimination and inequality, reinforcing social divisions based on race. Over time, legal challenges and evolving societal attitudes gradually eroded the legitimacy of these statutes, leading to their eventual dismantling through judicial rulings and legislative action.