What were the black codes?

In the United States, slavery was an institution, and like any institution, there were laws pertaining to it that had to be followed. Each state had its own Black codes, and Mississippi had one of the strictest in the nation.

Before slavery was outlawed in the North, black codes were stricter in the South.

The Black Codes were laws enacted by Southern states in the United States after the Civil War. These laws were designed to restrict the freedom and rights of African Americans, essentially replacing the earlier system of slavery with a new form of oppression. The Black Codes varied from state to state but generally aimed to control the labor, movements, and activities of African Americans. They imposed severe restrictions on their ability to own property, seek employment, vote, and exercise other basic rights. The Black Codes contributed to the development of the Jim Crow system of racial segregation and discrimination in the Southern states.