Jumping the broom – Harry & Co Jewellery

Origins and Historical Context

Jumping the broom originated in West Africa and was brought to the United States through the Atlantic slave trade.
Enslaved people used jumping the broom to signify their commitment to a marriage relationship.
Legal marriage between enslaved people was not recognized during slavery.
The custom allowed enslaved couples to publicly declare their commitment to each other.

Jumping the broom was a public and ceremonial announcement of a couple's commitment to each other.
Slave narratives from Georgia mention the practice of jumping the broom to get married.
The custom was not legally recognized after emancipation, but some African American communities continued the practice.
The phrase "jumping the broom" became synonymous with getting married in African American culture.

The custom of jumping the broom was revived among African Americans after the publication of Alex Haley's "Roots."
The 1992 book "Broom Jumping: A Celebration of Love" describes the African American custom during the early 1990s.
The custom is referenced in various TV shows and films, including "Roots" and "The Birth of a Nation."

Historian Tyler D. Parry suggests that the custom of jumping the broom in the United States has more similarities to the British Isles than to Ghanaian customs.
Poor white Southerners in the US South had cultural exchange with enslaved African Americans.
The custom of jumping the broom in Wales involved jumping over a branch of flowering broom or a besom made of broom.
The association of the broom with witches led to its adoption by some Wiccans.
The custom reflects cultural influences and exchanges between different communities.

Enslaved people were not legally recognized as married, but jumping the broom held cultural and emotional significance.
After emancipation, many formerly enslaved couples sought legal recognition of their marriages.
The legal recognition of broom-jumping marriages varied across different states and time periods.
The tradition raised questions about the rights and legal protections afforded to married couples, particularly in relation to slavery.

Reference	URL
Glossary	https://harryandcojewellery.com.au/blogs/glossary/jumping-the-broom
Wikipedia	http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jumping_the_broom
Wikidata	https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6311333
Knowledge Graph	https://www.google.com/search?kgmid=/m/04420