Question
The implementation of Johnson's Reconstruction program was not without controversy. What were the Black Codes? They were revised slave codes with new language that kept blacks subordinate to and dependent on whites. They were ineffective laws designed to end antiblack discrimination. They were codes of behavior developed for and by black people.
Answer
4.1
(249 Votes)
Wyn
Elite · Tutor for 8 years
Answer
They were revised slave codes with new language that kept blacks subordinate to and dependent on whites.
Explanation
The question asks for a description of the "Black Codes" in the context of Johnson's Reconstruction program which was a period of American history following the Civil War. The available options likely refer to different interpretations or descriptions of these legal statutes. Black Codes were laws passed by Southern states with the intent of restricting African Americans' freedom and compelling them to work in a labor economy based on low wages or debt. The codes were established after the Civil War to control the labor and behavior of former slaves and other African Americans; they sought to maintain the pre-war racial hierarchy. Thus, Black Codes effectively served as a way of continuing the oppression of African Americans, and were seen by many as a continuation of slavery under a different name, not unlike the description in the first given choice.