USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -Black codes were restrictive laws designed to limit the freedom of African Americans and ensure their availability as a cheap labor force after slavery was abolished during the Civil War.

Detailed explanation-2: -Fearing that black literacy would prove a threat to the slave system–which relied on slaves’ dependence on masters–whites in many colonies instituted laws forbidding slaves to learn to read or write and making it a crime for others to teach them.

Detailed explanation-3: -There were numerous restrictions to enforce social control: slaves could not be away from their owner’s premises without permission; they could not assemble unless a white person was present; they could not own firearms; they could not be taught to read or write, or transmit or possess “inflammatory” literature.

Detailed explanation-4: -Some enslaved people were educated in Bray schools. These schools educated enslaved people in Christian teachings. This allowed enslaved Africans to learn to read and sometimes write. Christian leaders thought that being literate was important to being a Christian.

Detailed explanation-5: -It included whippings, slave laws called slave codes, the use of religion, as well as constant punishment and intimidation. All these methods were designed to control slaves and keep them working. None of them were completely successful, but they help explain why slavery lasted for 250 years.