Slave Codes: Free Blacks In The North And The South

The Abolitionist movement during the Antebellum period, was a critical time in American history. The goal of this movement was to emancipate all slaves immediately, and end discrimination, as well as segregation. The brave men and women involved in this movement were called abolitionists and antislavery advocates. The antislavery advocates stood for freeing slaves gradually, and abolitionists wanted slavery gone immediately. No matter how fast, these people all wanted to spread opposition against slavery across the United States. Northern churches started liking this whole idea of abolishing slavery, which started conflict between the North and South. These arguments led up to the Civil War.

leader. Freedom became a symbol for the nation, but not everyone in the nation was “free”. In the 1760s, the American Revolution changed the views of many living in the States. With much talk of freedom, people began to question the concept of slavery. As the States kept growing, the North and South started to gain different views of slavery. Because the North was industrialized and believed in factories while the South had huge cotton plantations that needed many workers, slavery was controversial. But one-by-one, Northern states began to outlaw slavery. Black slaves became free men, but because of the contrasting views, were often not treated as such. The question remains: how free were free Blacks in the North? Free Blacks in the North were not truly free and very restricted because of political, social, and economical limits.

With the Union victory in the Civil War in 1865, millions of slaves were given their freedom. Although these millions of slaves are now free, the rebuilding on the South during the Reconstruction introduced many obstacles. These obstacles include sharecropping, tenant farming, the “black codes”, and not to forget the lack of education and rights African Americans had at the time. Sharecropping is consisted of a slave renting land from a white man and having to give up a portion of their crops at the end of each year. The black codes were basically laws against what type of labor African Americans can be given. In the state of South Carolina, blacks were only able to work as farmers or servants; the same jobs these free people worked as slaves. After decades of slavery, blacks were still under the control of the white people due to lack of education and rights.

Black Codes is the mainstream name given to the statutes went by Southern slave states, before and instantly after the American Civil War. From the pioneer time frame, provinces and states had passed laws that oppressed free Blacks. In the South, these were for the most part incorporated into slave codes; the objective was to lessen impact of free blacks as a result of their potential impact on slaves. Restrictions included denying them from voting, remaining battle ready, and assembling in gatherings for love and figuring out how to read and write. A noteworthy reason for these laws was to save slavery. In the initial two years after the Civil War, white ruled southern legislatures passed Black Codes displayed after the before slave codes.

David W. Blight of Yale University said, “The nation needed to heal the sectional divide in order to function as one country.” Healing to African Americans meant trying to understand their role as a citizen, reuniting family members, and establishing their new freedoms as citizens. Many problems interfered with this process. Black codes, Redemption, and Jim Crow are all examples of initial offering and then revoking of freedoms toward African Americans throughout Reconstruction. African Americans did not lose without a fight though; some even maintained it. Blacks resisted their revocation of their freedom through the development of Alliances and Leagues, which helped them liberate themselves of black codes and white supremacy. African

During the Reconstruction Era the southern whites used Black Codes to limit African-American civil rights and freedoms. Black Codes were put in place to regulate the lives of former slaves so that they were able to still have some control over them. With the Black Code in play; blacks were able to have limited rights. For example, they were allowed to have legal marriages, ownership of property, and some access to the courts. They were not allowed to serve on juries or in State militias, nor were they able to vote. The southerners made sure that the freed people were required to work on plantations, and if they failed to sign yearly contracts they would be arrested.

The goal of the abolitionist movement was to achieve immediate emancipation for all slaves in the United States and to end the discrimination of African Americans in the United States (Foner, Give Me Liberty 445). Of the many leaders of the abolitionist movement, some of the prominent leaders were David Walker, William Lloyd Garrison, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Frederick Douglass and John Brown. Different abolitionists used different methods to achieve their mutual goal of achieving emancipation of all slaves. During a time when slavery was thriving, their idea was regarded by many as completely absurd; but it was this absurd idea that freed the people of America.

Once the Civil War was over, the Federal Government started a process of Reconstruction. Reconstruction finished the remainders of Confederate patriotism and slavery, making the Freedmen nationals with social equality naturally ensured by three new Constitutional amendments. Even though, during the Reconstruction era “The Black Code” was passed in the Southern states. The Black Codes indicated the plans of the southern whites for the former slaves. The freedmen would have a more substantial number of rights than did free blacks previously the war, yet they would, in any case, have just a constrained arrangement of below average social liberties, no voting rights, and no citizenship. They would not be able to own firearms, serve on a jury in

Meanwhile, in the south, Free blacks were still at risk and lived under the shadow of slavery.Free blacks were at risk of being captured and sold as a slave to wealthy plantation owners. Their

In 1865 - 1866 the Southern States had a law that was passed after the Civil War by the name of "Black Codes." Black Codes were part of a large pattern of Southern whites who tried to suppress the new freedom of emancipated African American slaves. The Black Codes

The Black codes were designed post Civil War by new southern governments as a way of limiting the freedom and power of freed slaves. The codes differed slightly between southern states but they all were ultimately designed for the same intent. These codes accomplished their objectives by limiting freed slaves ability to use the court and bare arms. The codes denied freed slaves the ability to testify against whites, to serve on juries, and the ability to vote. They also denied freed slaves the right to join in state militias. To add to these insults freed black slaves were required to sign yearly labor contracts. The southern governments believed that the freed slaves would become stagnant and refuse to work. The codes stated that any freed

Black Codes: were passed by the south, they were made to limit the freedom of blacks so they would not be considered slaves however they were still treated like slaves due to the amount of restrictions made by these laws. If they quit before their contracts ended they would be subject to penalty and punishments. Black codes also restricted many of their civil rights not allowing them to be equal in the eyes of the government such as interracial marriages or being allowed to serve on a jury. These codes ultimately invalidated their freedom from slavery.

The Black Codes were laws passed by southern governments essentially as a way to regulate the lives of former slaves. It allowed free blacks to have some rights but not the same rights as free whites, therefore making blacks inferior to whites. They were able to marry, own land, and have some access to courts but they were unable to vote, serve on juries or in the state militia. These codes stated that anyone who failed to sign a yearly labor contract could be arrested and hired out to white landowners. Some states even limited the jobs available to blacks and would not allow them to own land. Judges were able to send black children to work for their former slave owners without the permission of their parents. The emancipation of slaves

Slave Codes are rules placed by the government on how you're supposed to deal with your slaves. The Slave Codes stated that slaves aren't allowed off the plantation, and they determined what you should let your slaves have and own.

In the Confederacy, African-Americans are still slaves and they serve mostly in labor positions. Although, most slaves that serve are impressed as a slave labor force, others are brought by their masters to tend to their master’s needs. In some cases, these servants are entrusted with a masters personal affects if he is killed, and he is to return them to his family. There are several reports of servants or slaves that took their masters spot on the battlefield and were soon adopted into the regiment. Records also show us men that serve or served as color-bearers in militia units. Tens of thousands have and are serving, willingly or otherwise.