The Black Codes After The Civil War

The Black Codes were laws passed by new southern governments, after the Presidential Reconstruction, which sought to control or manage the newly emancipated slaves. These laws were ultimately designed to make life much harder for the former slaves and limit their freedom. The Black Codes granted certain rights, but denied them others, such as the right to vote, serve on juries or in militias, and prosecute whites in court. The codes aimed to accomplish these objectives by restricting black interaction in the white world. When planters were demanding that emancipated slaves should be required to work on plantations, the Black Codes granted their wish. The codes declared that the former slaves who failed to sign yearly labor contracts could run