Black Codes Effect

After the civil war, newly freed slaves faced many challenges. Whites, especially in the south, regarded blacks as inferior more than ever before. The black codes were just one obstacle the freed slaves had to overcome. They were laws that were passed in the southern states that had the intent and the effect of restricting African Americans freedom. These laws made it possible for the south to regain control over the black population in much of the same ways they had before. The black codes effected reconstruction, and even today’s society in many ways. These codes restricted newly freed black people from doing things that ranged from making or selling liquor, and coming into a state without posting bond for good behavior. Their punishments

After the 13th amendment was passed, there was a severe shortage of workers on plantations and they needed help. The black codes were partially created because of economic worries of not having labor in the south. They helped reconstruction because it ensured that wealthy southern landowners would have a cheap and steady workforce they needed, because some of the codes forced African Americans to sign contracts that required them to work for meager wages. The government was also scared that the freed slaves would try to get revenge on their owners. The black codes helped regain control and inhibit the freedoms over the freed slaves, prevent black uprisings, ensure the continued and steady supply of cheap labor, and maintain segregation and white supremacy. Also, without the black codes, many amendments granting African Americans equal rights wouldn’t have been passed. The black codes forced congress to pass the Civil Rights Act of 1866 and the 14th amendment. The northerners reaction to black codes helped produce radical reconstruction and the 14th and 15th

The black codes suggested that the blacks were still the inferior race, and they also show the reluctance the south had to change their lifestyle after the Civil War. The black codes returned political, social, and economic power to the white southerners.

Black codes also affect us today. If black codes were never enforced during reconstruction, black people would have been able to be a part of the government much sooner than they did. They would have been able to vote, marry interracially, work where they wanted, and get an education. If black codes were never a thing, they wouldn’t have had to worry about the segregation they went through, which still effects many people’s mindsets today.

Some of the black codes were still unlawfully enforced for decades after they were made illegal. Some people might not be as racist and have a different mindset then they do now. The segregation that the black codes caused causes people to be more sensitive towards racial inequality because of the segregation the black codes caused. Like how people were getting pissed that the Emmys didn’t have enough black people being nominated. We would be much closer as a community without the lingering ideas and mindset that the black codes have put into us. We would be much closer without segregation and