Black's Law Dictionary, 6th Ed. definition of Marriage License: "A license or permission granted by public authority to persons who intend to intermarry,..."

Black's Law Dictionary, 6th Ed. definition of intermarriage: "See Miscegenation".

Black's Law Dictionary, 6th Ed. definition of Miscegenation: "Mixture of races. Term formally applied to marriage between persons of different races."

There you have it! Now you know what the marriage license was all about. It was only expanded to include everyone.

The first marriage license was issued in 1864 in Mississippi so a wealthy white slave owner could marry a black woman with out violating State anti-miscegination law.