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Research essay on black codes
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Imagine yourself wrongly convicted of a crime. You spent years in jail awaiting your release date. It finally comes, and when they let you out, they slap handcuffs around your wrists and tell you every single action you do. In a nutshell, that’s how the Black Codes worked. The southerners wanted control over the blacks after the Civil War, and states created their own Black Codes. After the Civil War, in 1865, the southern plantation owners were left with minimal labor. They were bitter over the outcome of the war and wanted to keep African Americans under their control. Black Codes were unique to the southern states, and each state had their own variation of them. In general, the codes compelled the freedmen to work. Any unemployed black could be arrested and charged with vagrancy. The ones that did work had hours, duties, and types of jobs dictated to them. Codes were also developed to restrict blacks from becoming successful. They discouraged owning and selling property, and raising and selling their own crops. Blacks were often prohibited from entering town without written permission from a white employer. A black found after 10 p.m. without a note could be arrested. Permission was even required from a black’s employer to live in a town! Section 5 of the Mississippi Black Codes states that every second January, blacks must show proof of residence and employment. If they live in town, a note from the mayor must b...
Slavery in America was a terrible thing, but no one knows about the laws that went along with slavery called slave codes. Slave codes were laws that were designated by each southern slave state (including Delaware even though it is considered a northern state) that were to be followed by slaves and their owners. Slave codes were closely associated with black codes. Black codes were in place for the free black people living in America, which was after the abolishment of slavery in 1865. Slave codes were laws that were inhumane and were in favor of the white slave owners. Slave codes were also the foundation of the Jim Crow laws of the south which furthered the oppression of black people.
The Mississippi Black Codes document of 1865 was presented to us by Walter L. Fleming, who was a historian who dealt with the south and more specifically the reconstruction era. He was targeting future historians who were studying this era. He nearly states the pros and cons of what the Mississippi Black Codes asked of their citizens. There were several things in the document that interested me in what history was at this time period. On the other hand, there were parts of the amendments to the government which I found very unethical with my present-day mindset. I realize such times were different, but it still made me sick to my stomach that “Freedmen, Free Negroes, and Mulattoes” were treated very differently than the ways such as whites were treated. The author breaks down the documents into different sections of the reconstruction plan. At first, he starts out talking about vagrant laws, which stated that the newly emancipated citizens had special laws that pertained to them. They were treated like animals that were forced to work if they did not have ownership of property. If they couldn’t hold down a job, on the second
The Black Codes were legal statutes and constitutional amendments enacted by the ex Confederate states following the Civil War that sought to restrict the liberties of newly free slaves, to ensure a supply of inexpensive agricultural labor, and maintain a white dominated hierachy. (paragraph 1) In southern states, prior to the Civil War they enacted Slave Codes to regulate the institution of slavery. And northern non-slave holding states enacted laws to limit the black political power and social mobility. (paragraph 2) Black Codes were adopted after the Civil War and borrowed points from the antebellum slave laws as well as laws in the northern states used to regulate free blacks.
Between 1890 and 1910 they limited the rights of black people by passing their own laws which meant that blacks were forced to live separately from whites. These laws were known as The Jim Crow Laws after a line in a plantation song sung by the slaves. Blacks were forced to use separate hotels, transport and schools. were treated as second class citizens. In states where the laws had not changed, violence and intimidation were used to.
The white southern government passed restrictive black codes, which was mostly just revised sections of the slave codes and replaced the word slaves with freedmen. The codes made former slaves carry passes, observe curfews, and live in housing provided by landowners. There were certain jobs that blacks still could not get into. Labor contracts even bounded the freed people to plantations and laws would punish anyone who tried to lure workers away from the plantations to other employment opportunities.
Black Codes was a name given to laws passed by southern governments established during the presidency of Andrew Johnson. These laws imposed severe restrictions on freed slaves such as prohibiting their right to vote, forbidding them to sit on juries, limiting their right to testify against white men, carrying weapons in public places and working in certain occupations.
From 1877 through the 1960’s was a shameful time for American history. Most southern states had passed laws known as “Jim Crow Laws”. Jim Crow was a slang term for a black man. These laws were very anti-black, meaning they were established to ensure black Americans failed before they ever got to start. These laws also set out to make African Americans feel inferior to white Americans.
Beginning with the 'black codes' established by President Johnson's reconstruction plan, blacks were required to have a curfew as well as carry identification. Labor contracts established under Johnson's Reconstruction even bound the freedmen to their respective plantations. A few years later, another set of laws known as the Jim Crow laws directly undermined the status of blacks by placing unfair restrictions on everything from voting rights all the way to the segregation of water fountains. Besides these restrictions, the blacks had to deal with the Democratic Party, whose northern wing even denounced racial equality. As a result of democratic hostility and the Republican Party's support of Black suffrage, freedmen greatly supported the Republican Party.
...a stable and subservient force but in actuality it mocked the idea of emancipation. These codes forced blacks to continue to work in plantations, they would have to pay for rent to work the land and even work for the lender until debt was paid. If they were unable to pay their contracts they would incur harsh penalties. These codes also did not permit any blacks to participate in a Jury or even have a vote. Eventually, these codes were repealed but these blacks were still chained to their contracts and surrounded by poverty. At some point, people wondered if the spilled blood of blacks and union soldiers was done in vain; pretty soon they would get their answer. In 1869, after a great struggle black men had the right to vote and by 1871 eligible blacks were able to organize politically and began holding major offices in government.
Black codes that were passed after the civil war ended was an effort to restrict civil rights for African Americans. They helped maintain a cheap source of farm labor and sustained the Social Hierarchy. Black codes made it illegal to carry weapons or even vote. They weren’t able to serve in juries, testify in court, marry white citizens and travel without permits. The Ku Klux Klan terrorized African Americans. Even though African Americans were the Ku Klux Klan’s main target they also attacked Jews, Gays, Lesbians, and Catholics. Not only did the Ku Klux Klan lynch ( public hanging ), raping was involved as well. The Ku Klux Klan started as a social club in 1866, Tennessee. Blacks were separated at schools, theaters, and other public places. The Ku Klux Klan and other terrorists murdered thousands of blacks and some whites to prevent them from voting and participating in public life. The KKK was founded in 1865 to 1866, they burned people alive, shot them, and beat them to death. In the Jim Crow Laws blacks and whites rode together in the same railway cars, ate in the same restaurant, used the same public facilities, but didn’t interact as equals. Whites addressed black adults as “boy” and they were expected to show differences to whites. In Public places the signs “Whites
After the close of the Civil War, African American slaves were recognized by the federal government as being free men and women. This new-found freedom led to a push for greater rights, including the ability to educate themselves, own property, and obtain jobs that would provide support for their families. To assist in these matters, the government responded with the creation of the Freedmen’s Bureau, an agency that was designed to create a new social order. Through the building of schools, the provision of medical care, and access to the justice system, African Americans were given a host of rights that had been denied them in years past (“Making…”, 1997). It was no wonder, then, that southern whites rejected many of these practices and took steps to undercut the advances of this agency. As they were gradually re-admitted to the union, many southern states passed black codes,...
The “Jim Crow” laws were established by the government of many Southern states because of the controversy between the white and black people there. These set of laws were also made so that whites could keep their supremacy over blacks and so that blacks could not have equal rights as white people. Another reason for the making of these laws was white people thought that black people were put on this earth to work as slaves
Jim Crow Laws, also known as black codes, were codes created in the south that separated African Americans from White Americans. A few of the Laws were as follows:
After the civil war, newly freed slaves faced many challenges. Whites, especially in the south, regarded blacks as inferior more than ever before. The black codes were just one obstacle the freed slaves had to overcome. They were laws that were passed in the southern states that had the intent and the effect of restricting African Americans freedom. These laws made it possible for the south to regain control over the black population in much of the same ways they had before. The black codes effected reconstruction, and even today’s society in many ways.
A common misconception is that all white citizens hated and disrespected black citizens; however, “Even when the Jim Crow laws were being enacted, many people (including white people) felt that they were not fair. They believed that blacks and whites should have equal access to opportunity” (The Impact of Jim Crow Laws on Education 1). The Jim Crow Laws legally separated black citizens and white citizens with segregation in schools, public bathrooms, water fountains, and many more public places. Signs that read “Colored Only” or “White Only” were visible everywhere during that time period (Racial Segregation in the American South: Jim Crow Laws 1). Shockingly, in South Carolina, black textile workers could not even enter through the same door as a white man, let alone work in the same room (A Brief History of Jim Crow 1). Black citizens had a hard time earning money because of this, especially because many unions passed laws that disabled African-americans from working there (A Brief History of Jim Crow