Understand Black Codes
Black Codes were a series of laws passed in the Southern states of the United States in the late 1800s. These codes were designed to restrict the rights and freedoms of African Americans and maintain white supremacy.
The Black Codes varied from state to state but generally aimed to control and regulate the behavior of newly freed slaves. They imposed various restrictions on African Americans, including limiting their ability to own land, work certain jobs, and obtain an education.
Additionally, the Black Codes imposed harsh penalties on African Americans for offenses such as vagrancy, loitering, and breach of labor contracts. These penalties often involved forced labor or imprisonment.
The purpose of the Black Codes was to maintain white economic and social dominance over African Americans and to ensure the continued subordination of the former slaves. The codes were essentially a way for the white ruling class to maintain control and deny black people their rights and freedoms.
The Black Codes were eventually abolished and replaced by the Jim Crow laws, which continued to enforce racial segregation and discrimination until the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s.