Marriage of enslaved people (United States)

Marriage of enslaved people in the United States was when two people who were enslaved, or owned by another person, got married. They weren't allowed to get married in a church, but some people in slavery still married each other in their own special ceremonies that were not recognized by the law. It was also against the law for enslaved people to be married by a minister or a justice of the peace, so they weren't given the same rights as a married couple that was not enslaved. Many enslaved people still chose to marry and had meaningful relationships with each other, but they didn't have any of the legal protections that a married couple would have outside of slavery.