Utah anti-miscegenation laws (racial intermarrying)

Utah laws against inter-racial marriage were on the books from 1852 to 1963. Curiously, Utah’s laws didn’t mention Native Americans; possibly because the “Lamanite curse of dark skin” was a different level of a curse than the “curse of Cain” or Black curse preventing the holding of priesthood and temple entrance. Many generations of early Mormons believed than Lamanite skin color would become lighter and more white if they were faithful LDS members over multiple generations.

1958 poll – 94% of white Americans strongly disapproved of interracial marriage. This rapidly changed in the 1960s and beyond with the 60s cultural revolution in America.

1963 Utah laws banning interracial marriage repealed.

1967: 17 southern states (former slave states) still had anti-miscegenation laws that were actually enforced at times. The Supreme Court essentially ended the ban in the remaining 17 states in 1967, although some states refused to remove the laws from the books for decades.

Brigham Young 1847 – when told of a black LDS member married to a white LDS member in Massachusetts (they had children), Young stated that if they were living amongst the Saints in Nauvoo, “they would all have to be killed”. Yes, BY apparently would be in favor of blood atonement (slitting throat) of an innocent little baby.

Brigham Young 1852 – Gov Brigham Young stated that if a white man (church member) had children with a black woman, the man should request to have his head chopped off. If any church member killed the man, woman and any children, it would be a blessing to the family, atoning for the interracial sin.

Brigham Young 1865 – President Young spoke in the Tabernacle, and clearly specified that the punishment for black and white people producing offspring was death and this would always be so.

1866 incident – Thomas Coleman was a black LDS member in Utah, and was rumored to be courting (or dating?) a white woman. LDS members murdered him by slitting his throat so deep that the head nearly fell off. Other knife wounds seemed to be in positions similar to temple ceremony penalties. Coleman was also castrated, and a note attached to the body warning other citizens of Utah against interracial dating/courting.

1958 - In Bruce McConkie’s controversial MORMON DOCTRINE, “the whole negro race have been cursed with black skin”, and non-black descendants of Adam “should not intermarry.” Despite numerous revisions to the book over the years, the quote remained for decades.

Spencer W Kimball 1958 – Apostle Kimball told BYU students to “discourage intermarriage of the races” because “it is not expedient.” He clarified that it was not a sin.

Spencer W Kimball 1965 – Kimball told BYU students that “the Brethren feel it is not the wisest thing to cross racial lines in dating and marrying.”

Spencer W Kimball 1976 – President Kimball repeated his 1965 advice to BYU students.

1978 – Blacks get the priesthood

2013 – LDS church publishes an essay RACE AND THE PRIESTHOOD stating that interracial marriage is not a sin, and never was a sin, and that earlier teachings to the contrary were due to general racism attitudes of previous generations in the United States.

Brigham encouraged and even commanded some white settlers to take "Lamanite" wives.

As late as the 70s and early 80s my "Lamanite" wife and I would be treated poorly by church members assuming she was black, asian or from India. Once I told them she was Native American ie Lamanite their attitude and treatment improved dramatically.

My own grandmother asked why I disgraced the family by marrying a "darkie"? When I explained she was "Lamanite" she said that was okay because we had several grafted into the family already by Brigham's orders.

All true facts presented.

Now that there is miscegenation allowance in the law how has society benefited from it?

If something is morally right, does it matter if it is beneficial in some other sense?

The benefit is that each person is now a human being and not confined or limited by an arbitrary color or randomly defined group.

One of the first steps to equality is recognizing each individuals worth and acknowledging their freedom and right to bond with any other human being.

I agree with this, Heartless, but I would go a step further and say that it is wrong to even ask the question about "benefits to society." The sanctity of the individual is so important that his or her rights don't need to be justified.

What needs to be justified is intrusions into the individual's liberty.

http://www.mormonthink.com/QUOTES/blackintermarriage.htm

http://www.connellodonovan.com/black_white_marriage.html


“Shall I tell you the law of God in regard to the African race? If the white man who belongs to the chosen seed mixes his blood with the seed of Cain, the penalty, under the law of God, is death on the spot. This will always be so. The nations of the earth have transgressed every law that God has given, they have changed the ordinances and broken every covenant made with the fathers, and they are like a hungry man that dreameth that he eateth, and he awaketh and behold he is empty.”

- Prophet Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, v. 10, p. 110



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/11/2018 09:40AM by anybody.

mrx Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

>
> Spencer W Kimball 1965 – Kimball told BYU
> students that “the Brethren feel it is not the
> wisest thing to cross racial lines in dating and
> marrying.”
>

I am interested in seeing a source for this. My parent were at BYU in 1965.

They said that in 1978 when lifting the priesthood ban. I'm not sure why it would be surprising that they said the same thing before then.

Oh, I'm not the least bit surprised (or doubtful). I'm just curious and would like to know where I can find the talk so I can read it. The short passage quoted by the OP is very similar to "doctrine" I heard numerous times growing up. Those sorts of things were often prefaced by the phrase, "the bretheren have taught that...." I'd like to read what was actually taught.

Source: Deseret News June 17, 1978

try this link

https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=336&dat=19780617&id=_RxVAAAAIBAJ&sjid=YIADAAAAIBAJ&pg=5866,5012493

Thanks, mrx! But I'd still be interested in reading the whole talk if anyone knows where to find it.