African American Slave Codes

When African Americans were enslaved, it was not of their own will. They were dictated under Whites, suppressing the rights of slaves to the point where they were mere objects. Overpowered by their own people for being seen as criminals or thugs, they were packed below deck onto ships headed to a foreign land. Each man on the vessel had roughly only two square feet of room they could claim for themselves. In this space crammed with four hundred other African Americans, disease accumulated within the air they all shared. Those infected would be forced overboard or committed suicide from the unbearable pain. Those who survived were treated very similar to cattle. This new land was a prison no different from the ships. They were shacked up in cages like animals and pulled out when
buyers came. Abused and branded on their cheeks to be symbolic of their imprisonment, they were put up for show. During auctions, they were constrained to the blocks in front of an audience where they would be examined. Buyers would grab them or force their mouths open to gain a clear inspection of this new product they would acquire, and slaves must be obligated to do so. If they met the expectations of slave owners, they would be purchased to a life of agrarian work. Their entire lives were dominated by labor, and sometimes it was the only activity they were allowed to participate in. Though only five percent of slaves traded were to America, the population of African Americans increased heavily with reproduction.
The multiplying amount of inhabitants brought in hereditary slavery. This meant those born with parents burdened of a life meant to serve Caucasians would follow that path as well. This rule perpetuated the system of slavery with very few loopholes. In order to further enforce this notion, Slave Codes were implemented. These set of laws were placed as a precaution of rebellions and restricted what little rights they had left. This gave owners complete and absolute control setting every action slaves could and could not do. For example, they could determine if slaves were able to wield weapons, if they could fight back in self-defense, when they would eat, how long they would work, etc. Even the Constitution which upheld the country gave the people trapped in this system little opportunities to seek freedom. They closely expressed that no matter what state they were located in, even ones with justice for slaves, they would never be lifted from their duties to White men (Boyd 23). If their duties were unattended or done poorly, they would be penalized with
beatings. The upper class would do anything to maintain the power they had, even disciplining when unnecessary. Even if they would perform their jobs smoothly, they were whipped nonetheless to help Whites stay in power. This grotesque practice was brutal and barbaric, but it was effective in concealing African American rights and preserving the idea that Whites were dominant.