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The term “mixed marriage” implies a union of mates who belong to different social groups, classes or identities and as a rule has only local and relatively unimportant social significance. Where two species or sub-species of a particular race are united in marriage, it does not attract particular attention. The marriage of an Englishman to a German woman would be considered in both countries as a mixed marriage, but would not attract attention as anything unusual in the United States. The marriage of a Catholic with a Baptist would also be only of local significance. The marriage of a Christian and a Jew would perhaps be more emphasized. It is, however, the union of members of two different races that is likely to attract particular attention and be fraught with social and psychical significance for both parties.
In countries without a color problem where there is no such idea as “white supremacy,” mixed marriages are of little significance. For the purpose of this paper and for the sake of clarity, it will be necessary to limit the definition of mixed marriages to those unions taking place between individuals designated as negroes and those designated as whites in the United States.
In order to consider these marriages from a psychogenic point of view I will try to determine (1) what is the white individual's concept of the negro, and (2) what is the negro's concept of the white, (3) under what conditions in the face of racial prejudice would white and black marry, (4) an explanation of the reaction of the racial groups to such marriages.