Black people’s desires to marry fit the government’s goal to make free Black men responsible for their own households and to prevent Black women and children from becoming dependent on the government.
After emancipation, many Black people desired legal marriage as a way to gain dignity, family stability, and recognition long denied under slavery. This personal goal aligned with the government’s Reconstruction agenda. Officials, especially through the Freedmen’s Bureau, wanted free Black men to take responsibility as heads of households in line with patriarchal norms. At the same time, marriage was seen as a way to reduce government aid by preventing Black women and children from becoming dependent on welfare.