Marriage in the United States is a social, legal, and religious institution that has dramatically changed throughout the history of the U.S. In the history of the U.S. there have been many laws addressing the institution of marriage, along with the rights of people wanting to marry and married people. Some of the more common subject matters that these laws focus on include interracial marriage, polygamy, divorce, and same-sex marriage.

This timeline highlighting the dates in American history having the most significant impact on marriage rights in the U.S. can also be found on our family law page here.