The Nuremberg Laws were passed at Germany's Nazi Party congress in Nuremberg in September of 1935. These laws were intended to take away rights and privileges previously allowed to Jews. Also called the Reich Citizenship Law and the Law for the Protection of German Blood and German Honor, the Nuremberg Laws made it legal to alienate Jews from German society.
The Reich Citizenship Law took away the rights of Jews in Germany. They lost their basic rights as citizens; sexual relations between Jews and non-Jewish German citizens were strictly regulated. Jews were also not permitted to have German maids younger than 45 working in their homes. The Reich Citizenship Law defined a citizen as someone of German or "kindred blood" who demonstrated that he or she was deserving of being allowed to serve the German people and its government.
Reich Minister of the Interior William Frick decided that the Reich Citizenship Law should also include other races, such as Gypsies and blacks.
The Law for the Protection of German Blood and German Honor initially was aimed only at Jews, but in November of 1935 it was changed to include Romani and Negroes. At this time, new classifications were developed to describe racial make-up. People could be designated as German, Jew, half-Jew, or quarter-Jew. Hitler believed that an individual who was over half Jewish was "evil" and did not deserve to live. Although those considered to be partially Jewish were persecuted, they felt relieved to have some guidelines in their lives. In the early years of these statutes, half-Jews and quarter-Jews were allowed to continue enjoying the rights of citizenship, such as serving in the army and attending school. They were treated well by Aryans, many of whom did not express interest in the new laws. Furthermore, even the half-Jews and quarter-Jews did not question the laws.
Official Nazi regulations regarding racial discrimination for the next ten years originated with the Nuremberg Laws. Interestingly, by 1938 Hitler considered the laws to be too "humane" but did not alter them. Due to the Nuremberg Laws, Jews were excluded from social and professional areas of their lives. Jews working for the government as well as doctors, teachers, and professors lost their jobs. Many lost their retirement benefits. Jews were also kept from performances at theaters and concert halls; they were not allowed in restaurants or hotels. In September of 1941, German Jews who were over six years old had to wear a yellow star of David when they were out of the house.
The Nuremberg Laws served to legitimize euthanasia of Jews as well as other Germans who suffered from a variety of mental or physical illnesses. Beginning in 1938, many were killed in hospitals for the mentally ill. Similarly, the Nuremberg Laws made the existence of concentration camps seem more acceptable.

Bibliography
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"Nuremberg Laws." Europe Since 1914: Encyclopedia of the Age of War and Reconstruction. Ed. John Merriman and Jay Winter. Vol. 4. Detroit: Charles Scribner's Sons, 2006. 1898-1900. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Gale. Nova Southeastern Univ. 15 May 2008

Rigg, Bryan Mark. "Nuremberg Laws." Encyclopedia Judaica. Ed. Michael Berenbaum and Fred Skolnik. Vol. 15. 2nd ed. Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA, 2007. 348-350. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Gale. Holocaust Documentation and Educ. Ctr. 14 May 2008