What would it be like to be in an interracial relationship? Interracial relationships have existed since 1620. These relationships were banned when Americans began owning slaves. During this time, African Americans were considered a minority and should not be seen as equals. However, times have changed and laws prohibiting interracial relationships have been lifted. However, because of these laws, many white Americans today continue to experience discrimination based on the past. Americans still have people who discriminate and are against interracial relationships. However, the number of Americans who agree with race relations exceeds those who oppose it. Race relations have improved society. As a result, the social issue of interracial relationships is evident in society as well as in the novel To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee. The social issue of interracial relationships is evident throughout the story. Slavery in America significantly changed the view of race relations. All African Americans were considered less than dirt and treated as terrible as white men or women wanted to treat them. According to Interracial Relations: A Rundown of Issues, “African-American men who looked at a white woman could be killed, and brutally” (Nittle). This shows how much white men and women looked down on African Americans. White people would find anything African Americans did offensive. Therefore, African Americans were afraid to even attempt a relationship because they risked being killed if they looked at a white person. White men could look at white women as much as they wanted, but racial discrimination prevented African American men from doing so. Since African American men and women were not in the middle of the paper, this is acceptable. Americans today do not react as radically as they did in the 19th century. African Americans are not killed for looking at a white woman, and interracial couples are not arrested for being together. Therefore, interracial relationships remain a social problem, but they are no longer as important as they used to be. Works Cited Lee, Harper. To kill a mockingbird. New York: Hatchette Book Group, 1960. Print. Margolick, David. Elizabeth and Hazel: two women from Little Rock. New Haven: Yale UP, 2011. Print.Nittle, Nadra K. “Problems in Race Relations – History of Race Relations.” Race Relations at About.com. Internet. May 12, 2014. Tropp, Linda R. “Perceived Discrimination and Interracial Contact: Predicting Interracial Closeness Among Black and White Americans.” JSTOR. American Sociological Association, 2007. Web. May 12 2014.