In the1950's the illegitimacy rate for black Americans was less than it was for the white population, and both were very low. The destruction of the Black Family began with (1) the creation of the welfare state (which required that no man live at the address of the woman/child(ren) receiving benefits; (2) the elimination of the requirement for a father's name on a birth certificate (and the corresponding requirement that the father [rather than the state] support his offspring); and (3) mass incarceration of black men ensuring that a large percentage of black children grow up without a father. The result of this is that nearly 2/3 of black children are raised in a fatherless home (as compared to 25% of white children, and 34% of children overall).