Back in slavery times the slaves were not allowed to have a legal marriage ceremony, so they devised their own. Jumping the broomstick used to be a part of the Pagan ceremonies. In America it became part of the ceremony for black slaves. Most marriages were not recognized as such. The couple would stand on one side of the broom and jump over to the other side, thus symbolizing their entry into a new life together. This has become a tradition in modern African American weddings to symbolize the marriage and also to pay homage to their past.
So, for us, the term these days mainly has come to mean a "common law marriage," one without legal recognition, also known as living together or as "shacking up."
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