Throughout history, the structure of romantic relationships has seen a drastic evolution.  What once was seen as non-normative and forbidden is now seen as common.  Specifically speaking, there has been an increase in heterogamous, cross-cultural, relationships.  This rise in interracial relationships can be attributed to the reversal of anti-miscegenation laws, the lack of potential mates, the breakdown of segregation, immigration and advancements in technology.

History of Romantic Relationships
      Before discussing how historical changes have influenced interracial relationships, it is imperative to examine how relationships have evolved throughout history.  During Medieval times, the families of the supposed couple arranged the marriage.  Much of society placed emphasis on wealth and land ownership.  People did not often marry outside of their class.  Therefore, it was the role of family to find a suitable partner to make the transition into matrimony (Amt, 1993).  Also, love was not a factor in the decision making process (Stritof, 2001).  In the Middle Ages, marriage was seen as a sacrament.  Therefore, the transition into marriage was made in order to prevent sin and to procreate as the Bible dictates (Shahar, 1983).  However, during Colonial times, the role of the family was altered.  The transition into marriage shifted from the parent’s control to the individual’s control.  In spite of this shift, though, the family did still largely influence whom the individual chose to marry.  Children were guided and taught on how to choose the most suitable partner.  During this time, romance became part of the marriage interest, it was an opportunity to love (Wilkins, 1998).  Industrialization again brought change to the relationship structure.  The transition into marriage was the complete decision of the individual.  Many changes in societal attitudes and institutions had a drastic influence on romantic relationships.  Legalized abortion, advances in birth control, the women’s movement, and age delays in marriage helped move society toward less rigid sexual standards (Schwartz, 2000).  The norms of the past became non-norms of the future.
        These changes in romantic relationships and the transition to marriage allowed for people to explore alternative lifestyles and relationships.  Noticeably, interracial romantic relationships and marriages have become commonplace.

Anti-miscegenation Laws
      Laws against interracial marriages date back to 1661.  These laws were enacted to prevent whites from marrying outside their race.  Individuals who married cross-culturally could be arrested (Schwalbe, 2001).  These laws were not limited to African Americans, for example in Arizona whites and Native Americans were prohibited from marrying each other, on the other hand, in Montana whites could not marry Asian Americans (Schwartz, 2000).  However, in 1967, the Supreme Court Case Loving v. Virginia declared laws against interracial marriages unconstitutional (Schwalbe, 2001).  This allowed individuals to explore other relationship opportunities and thus the rise of interracial marriages.  These laws limited the pool of eligible mates and the transition into marriage was directly effected.  These laws displayed the views of society; therefore individuals wishing to make to transition into marriage often followed these laws in order to gain society’s approval and to avoid adversity.

Lack of Potential Mates
       Many interracial relationships have credited their opposite love mates to the lack of potential mates.  In colonial times, the colonies had a shortage of women.  Therefore, the men often had romantic relations with Native Americans.  This is the first sign of interracial relationships in American history (Schwartz, 2000).  Recently, however, there has been an increase in interracial marriages among many races.  African American females often suggest that their attraction to white males is due to the fact that they feel their African American male counterparts are not as well educated and as goal oriented (Schwartz, 2000).  Black women have also stated that black men are not “on their social and income level” (Norment, 1999, 2).  On the contrary, Asian American females attribute their tendency to marry cross-culturally to the gender ratio difference; Asian American women out number Asian American men two to one (Schwartz, 2000).
         The lack of potential mates has greatly influenced the transition into marriage.  The effect on the transition is that more individuals chose to stay single or explore other relationship options, such as interracial relationships.

Breakdown of Segregation
       The breakdown of segregation allowed for the integration of societal institutions.  The integration of grade schools, colleges, workplaces, and churches allowed whites to socialize with blacks (Norment, 1999).  “The enrollment of students of color in public schools has increased to a record high of 35 percent” (Schwartz, 2000, 131).  Recent research has proven that the increase in minority school enrollment has had effects on interracial dating.  Adolescents report more acceptances towards interracial dating (Schwartz, 2000).  The negative attitudes that were once attached to these relationships are now being eliminated.  Many middle class neighborhoods are now integrated.  African American children raised in these neighborhoods socialize with middle class white children (Norment, 2001).  These socialization patterns cause acceptance and therefore romantic relationships between African Americans and Caucasians become normative.  Also, a trend in interracial relationships in the South can be attributed to the breakdown of segregation.  Many whites wanted to prove that they were not racist be engaging in a relationship with an African American (Schwartz, 2000).

Immigration
       A cause of the increase of interracial relationships is immigration.  Immigration increases the chances of meeting people from different racial backgrounds.  The United States of America is considered a “melting pot” (Schwartz, 2000).  The U.S.A. has many different races enmeshed into one society.  This has allowed people to have many different types of romantic relationships.
         Immigration has effected the transition into marriage by providing mates from many different backgrounds.  Also, immigration has effected many people’s views on marriage by introducing people to new cultures.

Advancements in Technology
         Advancements in technology have led to the development of mass media.  In today’s society, people witness interracial relationships through television and film.  Observing whites and blacks interacting in shows and movies, have allowed interracial couples to be socially accepted (Norment, 1999).  Much of what society perceives as acceptable is shown through mass media.  Adolescents respond to the images portrayed on MTV and in teen magazines.  Many sitcoms have also incorporated interracial relationships into their storylines.  For example, on the sitcom ER, Dr. Benton, a black surgeon, dated Dr. Corday, a white surgeon.  This trend is also true for movies; remember the movie Jungle Fever.

Conclusion
       Interracial romantic relationships may still be faced with adversity, however they are becoming more commonplace everyday.  People will love who they love.  Similarly, people will chose whom to make the transition into marriage with.  These trends can be attributed to historical changes.  The reversal of anti-miscegenation laws, the lack of potential mates, the breakdown of segregation, immigration and advancements in technology are all reasons to consider when examining the increase in cross-cultural romantic relationships.