[ansel12]

Up until the 19th century, only a few states, e.g., Massachusetts, issued marriage licenses. For most of Western history, the institution of the state was not involved in marriage.

That isn't true, Greece, Rome, Europe, all had marriage law, whether from the state or the state church.

Licenses go back about 800 years and they are just an extension of other forms of notice, Thomas Jefferson was married with a license, George Washington paid for his nephew's license.

There have always been rules to what makes a legal marriage, in all cultures and there always will be, especially in America and civilization.

[concernedcitizen76]

That may be so, but marriage was handled by the church during the greater part of the period after 500 A.D.

[Talisker]

There have always been rules to what makes a legal marriage, in all cultures and there always will be, especially in America and civilization.

Government acknowledgement of marriage is not the same as the government claiming the power and authority to marry people.

There is a HUGE difference.

That is what you don't understand.

[Alberta's Child]

Keep in mind that a marriage license only exists in a culture with a written language, so there are plenty of perfectly valid marriages all over the world that have no “legal” recognition.