The Black Codes Of African Americans After The Civil War

Opelousas, Louisianas’ Black Codes passed in 1865 stated that, no negro could come into town, live, rent, or use land in town, go to any public meeting in town without a pass from a government official or white boss, they also couldn’t carry a gun unless in the military (Doc. B) a white person could do these things by their own choice. Former slave Henry Adams said to the U.S. Senate in 1880 that, he once asked the madam “‘ where was the boss?”’ She said, “‘You should say ‘master’ You are not free... and you shall call every white lady ‘missus’ and every white man ‘master’.’” (Doc. C.), many would say African Americans weren’t free because whites didn’t think they

Even after the hurdle of being enslaved was passed, there were many more and difficult hurdles ahead. For example, the black codes were an earlier major hurdle. The codes prevented African Americans from owning weapons, votes, and land. While the Black Codes were quickly abolish; a group emerged called the Ku Klux Klan which aimed to bring down African Americans to be seen as less than then human. However, the Jim Crow laws caused separation, and that separation led to African Americans having unequal opportunities. These laws were claimed to be constitutional, because they didn't deprive any person of life, liberty, or property; or trying to include slavery. From the Black codes to Jim Crow laws, African Americans had, and have many hurdles to overcome.

Especially considering the Civil Rights Movement was over 50 years ago. “IT IS NO ACCIDENT that the pivotal Supreme Court decision launching the modern civil rights movement was an education case -- the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka ruling.” (Leadership Conference)

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.

For my research topic I chose “Black Codes and Jim Crow Laws.” I chose this topic because I have heard about Jim Crow Laws many times through television, books, and history classes but never in depth. I wanted to know more about the topic, along with black codes, which I have never heard about and didn’t know existed. Choosing this topic allowed me to gain more knowledge on both of these topics. Before this paper, my knowledge of Jim Crows laws was that they were laws that White Southerners were using to keep former slaves as insubordinates to them. I learned that this is the basic idea and purpose of the Jim Crow laws, but they were also used to prevent complaints and issues, with the separate but equal laws, that said that black were to receive equal, but separate public facilities and buildings. What I wanted to know is how black codes differed from Jim Crow laws. To answer this question I found out the history behind them, the differences and the similarities, and in that, was able to grow as a researcher.

Although this book is titled, “The Black Codes of the South,” the writer begins his story discussing slavery, then leads up to emancipation, where four million slaves were freed. The freedom of slaves brought about the enactment of the Black Codes in the southern states. Interestingly, the writer includes newspaper sources from the South, as well as the North, excerpts from various plantation owners ‘diaries, notices and laws. The Black Codes came to fruition because the Southerners needed them as laborers , and because the free Negros were not anxious to sign contracts, the South labeled them as idle and vagrants

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 southerners were too busy fighting for the right to neglect equality to the african americans by creating the Black Codes and riots as well. The Black Codes were laws that were passed by the southern states in 1865 and 1866 after the Civil War. Their reason for the black codes was because the southerners did not want to treat the blacks as their equal. They soon started to rebel and causing riots after the passing of the 14th amendment which states, “all persons born or naturalized in the United States.” This amendment shows that the southerners were going against the Constitution and all because of neglect towards the blacks. The reason for the passing of their codes was to restrict the African-Americans from freedom and to keep making them work harsh labor for very low wages and income. They had always wanted to keep them as their property to benefit them for agricultural needs. This was a big factors that kept the reconstruction after the Civil War to be

     One of the major issues of the Civil War was slavery, and even with a victory by the North, blacks rights did not improve very much. Throughout individual Southern states, Black Codes were passed in state legislatures to repress the suffrage of black males. “All freedmen, free Negroes, and mulattos…with no lawful employment or business… shall be fined… and imprisoned…” In an effort to counteract these laws, the federal government passed the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments. These Amendments were only effective to a minimal degree, because the Southerners found other ways to restrict the opportunities of blacks. Southern whites organized secret societies such as the Ku Klux Klan to intimidate blacks and white reformers. Often times, violence was used by these secret societies to express their views. These Reconstruction policies dealing with blacks were not very efficient, for blacks did not receive equal

After the Civil War in America, a period of rebuilding in the South was in order. This period of rebuilding in the South is controversial even today. Reconstruction is and was controversial because there were some positive actions and ideas created in Reconstruction as well as some negative actions and ideas. The positive actions include Congress deciding to be more strict and firm with the South allowing for advancements towards equality. However, racism was definitely still alive at the time, and there were plenty of racist groups and events that took place. These unfortunate action tried to limit the rights of African Americans and other minorities. However, when the United States rose from the ashes of Reconstruction, African

lso, In July 3, 1865, there was a document that was passed in Opelousas,Louisiana,called “Black Code” to keep color people in check.In the document of the “Black Codes” Created by Many Southerners after the civil way one of the law was,”No negro shall be permitted to rent or keep a house within the limits of the town under any circumstances” and “No public meetings of negroes shall be allowed within the limits of the town of Opelousas under any circumstances without the permission of the mayor or president of the board of police”.Also, this is an perfect example of how they(African Americans) were being violated of their laws, because in the first amendment 1, it states, “Abridging the freedom of speech or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble” and that they were told you “CANNOT HAVE A MEETING” which again across the freedom to have a assemble.Therefore, that this document,”Black Codes” is one of the best examples of how even though they were free after the civil war according to the documents.Some historians might say or people that african americans were, free during the reconstruction era but however, from the point of views of slaves and other such documents they were

The South still had a disliking for blacks and the South began to form Black Codes. Black codes were restrictions put on blacks in the South. “Black codes denied blacks the right to vote, the right to own guns, the right to serve on juries, and some even forced them to work on plantations if they did not have a job” (Radical Reconstruction. youtube.com). Black codes unfairly restricted the rights of African Americans and they were morally wrong. There was much variation of the Black Codes depending on which state of the South. Some states did not even allow blacks to own property. “The Black Codes partially reverted the South into slavery” (Radical Reconstruction. youtube.com). Once the government realized what was happening they decided that reconstruction had to be enforced. “Congress sent the military creating radical regimes throughout sectionalist states” (Sparknotes.com). At this time in history the south was divided into five military districts and there was a United States general put in place for each. There were many disobedient white Southerners

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

What made me most interested within the Reconstruction Era, was the Black Codes developed by Andrew Johnson. This made me interested was due to the fact that till this point in my life, I thought that Lincoln had truly freed the slaves, however recently I found that this was not true. “Most former Confederates bitterly resented racial integration and the emancipation of the slaves.” I understand that, when someone loses in something huge and significant of a war, there must be terms to be agreed for from the loser which is never a positive thing for the loser, thus for the South it was basically another way of them stripping them of the lifestyle they once had, and the superiority they once had was over. Having

African Americans were a very important addition to the American Civil War such as fighting and spying for both the north and the south sides. The American Civil War was a war fought in the United States between the North and South states. The war was from 1861-1865 and was because the South wanted to establish itself as a separate nation. The northern states were called the Union and the southern states were called the Confederate. Between the north and south states were the Border States, which did not belong to either of the sides. The Border States included Maryland, Delaware, West Virginia, Kentucky and Missouri. In the north, slavery did not exist but the south was the opposite. In the war, the north and south states fought against each other while the Border States were neutral. Before the war and during the war, African Americans were treated very unfairly compared to white people. This essay will examine how African Americans were treated before, during and after the Civil War.