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History of U.S. Marriage: Miscegenation Laws NPR's Robert Siegel talks to history professor Peggy Pascoe of the University of Oregon in Eugene about U.S. laws that were the nation's longest lasting form of legalized racial discrimination. For three centuries, states had laws of various sorts barring marriage between people thought to be of different "races." They lasted halfway into the 20th century when a Supreme Court decision overturned the last ones. We compare and contrast the fears behind those laws with fears against same-sex marriage today.

History of U.S. Marriage: Miscegenation Laws

Heard on All Things Considered

History of U.S. Marriage: Miscegenation Laws

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The national debate on gay marriage -- centered in places as unconnected as New York state, San Franscisco, Oregon, Georgie, New Jersey and Seattle -- is by turns civil and rancorous.

The status of an institution often seen as being woven into the national fabric is now up for discussion. In a two-part examination of the history of American discussions on marriage and its evolution, NPR's Robert Siegel talks with social historians about crises faced by marriage in the United States.