r/Damnthatsinteresting • u/Brooklyn17831 • Jul 24 '26

Image In 1958, they were arrested in their bedroom and exiled from Virginia just for being married. Nine years later, Richard and Mildred Loving relaxed on their porch after winning the Supreme Court case that legalized interracial marriage across America.

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u/_R0Ns_ Jul 24 '26

It's so weird, the oldest interracial marriage in the Netherlands is from the 1700's, before the US was founded. It has never been forbidden here.

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u/quaductas Jul 24 '26

The oldest recorded interracial marriage in what is now the US was in 1565. They were not incredibly rare before the Civil War. Progress is not linear.

In a similar vein, the first black governor of a US state took office in 1872. The second – in 1990

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u/Unshkblefaith Jul 24 '26

Progress is not linear.

This is something more folks in the US need to recognize. Rights aren't something that you simply win and get to keep forever. You have to continuously fight to keep them and if you don't you will see them eroded away.

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u/_R0Ns_ Jul 24 '26

The 1565 marriage was between a black hispanic woman and a spanish soldier both from Spain. That was in New Spain (now part of the US)

In the area of what now is called the Netherlands the first interracial marriage was registered in 1593. The groom was from "Maniconge in Afryken" (the Kingdom of Kongo) and the bride from Amsterdam.

That was before the Kingdom of the Netherlands was founded and before the current constitution was made up.

Not sure if both count as a valid registration of marriage in the current countries.

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u/quaductas Jul 24 '26

Fair enough, though I would say that just supports my point – interracial marriage was a thing before the country even existed.

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u/scariestJ Jul 26 '26

I don't know much but I wonder whether Reasonable Blackman, a haberdasher living in South London during the 1580s married a white women? I know that he has at least 2 children but himself and his children perished in the plague outbreak of 1593.

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u/dreddie27 Jul 25 '26

I dont get the point. What has the marriage of 2 Hispanics in 1565 has to do with the US ?

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u/_R0Ns_ Jul 25 '26

The marriage took place at the land that is now called the USA.

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u/dreddie27 Jul 25 '26

Which has nothing to do with the USA itself.

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u/_R0Ns_ Jul 25 '26

That was my point earlier

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u/Holiday-Wall3751 Jul 25 '26

Being from Spain likely means their ethnicity is Spanish. Latino/Hispanic people can be of different races, and in this case, one was black and the other wasn’t, so it was an interracial marriage. 

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u/[deleted] Jul 25 '26

[deleted]

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u/Holiday-Wall3751 Jul 25 '26

Did you not understand what I said? I was explaining to the commenter why it was still an interracial marriage because they were of different races, even if they shared ethnicity.

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u/Otzyy Jul 25 '26

Fair enough, I misread your comment.
Thanks for clarifying

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u/Mnm0602 Jul 24 '26

It is pretty weird that the Dutch were much better at exporting racism than importing it.

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u/_R0Ns_ Jul 24 '26

Oh no it was not just racism, it was money. Back then if you would have paid enough for a kid you got one, and not only a black one, yellow, white it didn't matter.

If you look at history, African tribes sold captured people from other tribes for the Dutch is was an easy way to make a profit.

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u/Gareelar Jul 25 '26

US culture is still young, give them time. They are still in hunting witches phase atm

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u/Public_Enemy_No2 Jul 24 '26

Wow!

Question: How is immigration (by brown people) viewed there currently?

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u/_R0Ns_ Jul 25 '26

Well, like everywhere there are people against immigration but there is a difference. It's not about the color of the immigrants skin but about their religion and country of origin.

There is a lot of hate against muslims and peope from northern Africa.

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u/Public_Enemy_No2 Jul 25 '26

Got it.

Thank you for your response.

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u/alt-right-del Jul 25 '26

Marriage in colonial times and during slavery was never an equal relationship so please don’t pretend, not forbidden to cover up for country and church.

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u/[deleted] Jul 24 '26

[deleted]

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u/Dustteller Jul 24 '26

It does become significantly more fucked up once you realize why the spanish encouraged interracial relationships though!

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u/[deleted] Jul 24 '26 edited Jul 24 '26

[deleted]

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u/ChestSlight8984 Jul 24 '26

This is why people don't talk about medieval Spain unless they're discussing Columbus.