safehaven215

Going through one of my textbooks from the previous semester, I thought that I should talk about the Black Codes of 1865. Throughout all the confusion and reconstruction that the South was going through after the Civil War they still stayed focused when it came to controlling blacks. Black Codes controlled all aspects of life and basically denied African Americans all of the freedoms that were just won. For example, if you couldn't find any work (which was very common) you could be arrested and charged with vagrancy. For those who do not know what vagrancy is, it is the state of wandering from place to place; having no permanent home or means of livelihood. It gets even more ridicuolous though. For some reason, white southerners thought that African Americans were predestined to work in agricultural labor. Not only did it not come to their minds that you wouldn't want to work in the fields, but they didn't even feel that we were capable to show productivity in anything that didn't involve simple steps, and long hours of grueling labor. The thought of a black man or woman using their minds obviously never crossed theirs. How sad it is when someone doesn't even have the freedom to roam. Yup, many codes prevented blacks to enter towns without permission. Basically, you had to have a letter stating your business in that particualar town, and how long you would be there. If you were caught out after 10 o'clock without one of these notes you would be arrested and imprisoned. Oh yeah, the President in 1865 was Abraham Lincoln, you know that guy with the top hat that everyone loves!

Peace

Trevor Winston Lee