ABSTRACT
The desire of black men and women to form marital unions has been very strong throughout American history. In 1865, with the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution, previously enslaved blacks were finally afforded the right to legally marry-though, this did not extend to same-sex or interracial marriages. Transforming marital desire into action always involves an initial meeting, dating, and/or courtship, and a legal ceremony of some kind. The study couples' relationship trajectories took on a number of forms, with differing levels of happiness and/or difficulty. This chapter provides some understanding of the similarities and differences that exist among the ethnicities and social class groups represented. The primary objective is to reveal the diverse transitions within contemporary black marriage, and to introduce the reader to many of the black couples whose stories are laced throughout subsequent chapters.
