Black Codes
Definition
These were laws passed by Southern states in 1865 and 1866, after the Civil War, with the intent to restrict African Americans' freedom and compel them to work in a labor economy based on low wages or debt.
Analogy
Think of Black Codes like a strict parent who doesn't want their child to grow up and become independent. Just as this parent might set rules that limit their child's freedom (like early curfews or not allowing them to get a job), the Black Codes were designed to keep African Americans under control and prevent them from gaining economic independence.
Related terms
Jim Crow Laws: These were state and local laws enforcing racial segregation in the Southern United States.
Sharecropping: This was a system where landowners allowed tenants to use their land in exchange for a share of the crops produced on it. It was another way of limiting economic freedom for African Americans post-Civil War.
Freedmen's Bureau: This was an agency established by Congress in 1865 to help former black slaves and poor whites in the South after the Civil War.
"Black Codes" appears in:
Practice Questions (2)
- How did the Jim Crow laws passed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries differ from the Black Codes that were implemented during the Reconstruction era?
- What were "Black Codes" implemented during Reconstruction period primarily designed for?
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