7 Slave Codes that Still Affect African Americans Today

If you are like a lot of other people today, you may wonder how anything involving slavery can be still affecting African Americans today. I mean, slavery is over right? Hasn’t it been over for over 150 years? Isn’t it time to simply stop talking about it, forget about it, and move on? If you’re like me, you know better. The slave codes caused some serious damage to the lives and and livelihoods of slaves and former slaves. But, unbeknownst to many, they caused some psychological damage, the effects of which, we are still dealing with.

Slave Codes

An obvious question might be, what are slave codes, exactly? However, if you asked that question you might get several different answers in return. A better approach might be to define exactly what a code is in the first place. Once that is understood, it becomes easier to really understand the impact of these codes as it pertains to slavery.

Basically, a code is a systematic statement of a body of law. This is especially true when it is given statutory force. The bodies of laws regarding the treatment of blacks were backed up with the force of armed citizenry, law enforcement, and in many cases even the military. There was nowhere blacks could turn for help in resisting these “legal” codes.

Another way of looking at codes is to view them a system of principles or rules. Essentially, a moral code. This does nothing but illustrate the problem with morality. Morality is concerned with the principles of right and wrong behavior and the goodness or badness of human character. But, the question is who gets to decide what’s right and what’s wrong? Who decides what’s good and what’s bad?

In any case, we can be sure that the slave has no say in it.

Slave Code Origins

The rules and laws that eventually became know as the slave codes developed over time. Also, they were primarily for the “protection” of free people more so than outlining how to treat slaves. That is, protection in terms of the rights and duties of free people, in regards to enslaved people. They left a lot to the imagination. In fact, tradition and common practice were just as much, or more, a part of it as formal law. At their core, these laws resulted from a sick combination of arrogance and fears of white inferiority.

The most recent codes grew from pieces that each of the primary colonial powers contributed. The three main colonial powers were the British, French, and the Spanish. Each of them had slightly different slave codes.

England and America

For the most part, English colonies had their own local slave codes. These codes were mostly based on the codes established for the colonies of Barbados or Virginia.

Officially, the creators of the Barbados Slave Code introduced it in 1661. Initially, they titled it An Act for the better ordering and governing of Negroes. Barbados’ Parliament passed the law to “provide a legal basis for slavery in the English colony of Barbados.” In fact, it was the first comprehensive Slave Act. The Barbados Slave Code preamble stated that its purpose was to “protect them (slaves) as we do men’s other goods and Chattels”. Here, we see that slaves weren’t viewed as men, or women, or even human. Basically, it established that black slaves would be treated as chattel property in matters of the court.

The Barbados Slave Code described blacks as “a heathenish, brutish and an uncertain, dangerous kind of people”.

In essence, the creators of Slave Codes of Virginia designed them in parallel to the Barbados codes. Individual laws started in 1667. Later, they passed a comprehensive code in 1705 after several damaging enactments along the way;

• 1667 – Virginia House of Burgesses enacted a law which refused recognition of African American conversion to Christianity regardless of a baptism.
• 1669 – Virginia enacted “An act about the casual killing of slaves”. This act declared that masters who killed slaves that were deemed to be resisting were exempt from felony charges.
• 1670 – Virginia enacted a law prohibiting free Africans from purchasing Non-African servants.
• 1680, Virginia passed Act X. This act prohibited slaves from carrying weapons. Further, it prohibited leaving an owner’s plantation without a certificate. Finally, it prohibited raising a hand against “Christians”.

French Slave Codes

The French colonies had the Code Noir. French King Louis XIV passed this decree in 1685 defining the conditions of slavery in the French colonial empire. The Code Noir required owners to clothed and feed their slaves. It also required owners to take care of them when they were sick. However, It prohibited slaves from owning property. Furthermore, it stated that they had no legal capacity. Ultimately, the Code Noir governed their marriages, burials, punishments, and the conditions they had to meet to gain their freedom.

Spanish Slave Codes

The Spanish had Las Siete Partidas or the “Seven-Part Code”. Originally, it was a Castilian statutory code. Its intent was to establish a uniform body of normative rules. Basically, Las Siete Partidas concentrated on legislative issues. Some have referred to it as a “humanist encyclopedia.” Interestingly, it went as far as to address philosophical, moral and theological topics.

Common Traits of Early Slave Codes

Regardless of where a particular code originated, they all shared certain similarities. They all viewed black people as subhuman. Each of them were designed to keep blacks down. And, designers focused on the protection of whites while ignoring the true plights of black people. Despite minor differences, slave codes all shared and promoted the same typical restrictions on blacks.

7 Typical Slave Codes

Although the States each developed their own codes for treatment of slaves, they all had certain things in common. It’s fair to say that some things were simply “typical”. In other words, designers all included common things designed to keep Blacks down and in their places.

7 typical Slave Codes that African Americans are still suffering the affects of are;

• Movement Restrictions
• Marriage Restrictions
• Gathering Restrictions
• Slave Patrols
• Commerce Restrictions
• Punishments
• Education Restrictions

1. Slave Movement Restrictions

Slave codes placed restrictions on the movement of slaves. Most areas required slaves to have permission any time they were to be away from their masters plantation. The same went for being outside of the cities in which they lived. To do so, they had to have a pass signed by their master.

Another feature of these restriction was “slave tags”. Essentially, these were small copper badges. They were used to show that the slaves wearing them had permission to move around.

Can you imagine the psychological impact longterm? If you can’t, I’m not surprised. Why, because it might seem that lifting those restrictions would make the impacts disappear… immediately. However, that would only be true in a world were fear and resentment were nonexistent. Simply put, the mere fact that they even existed, once upon a time, perpetuates a problem. Any similarity of policy in modern times creates a comparison. In other words, even today, an attempt (or perceived attempt) to limit the movement of a black person is met with an often unconscious resistance.

What does that look like? Well, a good example would be people wanting to gain access to places that they really don’t even want to be just because you said that they couldn’t be there. Sounds strange doesn’t it. Unfortunately, it’s real… and it’s valid.

2. Slave Marriage Restrictions

The codes placed restrictions on both black couple marriages and interracial marriages involving blacks. One school of thought is that Masters used this to prevent slaves from trying to change masters. Many slave masters believed that marriage would allow slaves to marry into a family on another plantation and thus leave the master.

The code also restricted marriage between people of different races. After all, doing so would destroy their ideas of racial superiority. It would also destroy the so-called purity of the white race. Aside from that, it would blur the line of moral justification for slavery.

In truth, is was an indicator of a hidden inferiority complex regarding genetics. Imagine reconciling the thought that you were a better man and witnessing a so-called inferior man marrying and procreating with the so-called better woman. In short, that amounts to a huge conflict in both thought and reason. Not to mention the damage to a man’s pride. Obviously, the same logic applies when we reverse the sexes.

Today, the scars remain when we look at how many people view marriage. We have a lot of black people who believe marriage isn’t necessary (or beneficial) citing aspects of slavery as examples. Others believe marriage is a tool of the white man that he uses in his system of control of Blacks. Alternatively, we see some black people that crave marriage to other races simply because society denied that to blacks historically. These psychological scars run wide and deep.

3. Prohibitions on Slave Gatherings

Most slave codes placed restrictions on blacks in terms of gathering. They generally prevented large groups of enslaved people from gathering away from their plantations. Oddly enough, the negative effects were similar to what we see today with social distancing.

In a society, non-gathering encourages the dangers of increasing social rejection. Further, It fosters a growing impersonality and individualism. And, there is a loss of a sense of community.

Overall, a lack of gathering negatively affects learning and growth. Because, it prevents people from effectively socializing. We learn a ton from others in social settings. Furthermore, socializing is a fundamental human need. That’s why one of the worse things you can do to an inmate is to place them into “solitary” confinement.

Today we still see the effects ravishing the black “community”. You still see a complicate web of social rejection based on old stereotypes and expectations of behavior based on skin tone. We still witness rampant attitudes of individualism as a tool for survival through disassociation. Blacks are still suffering from a loss of a sense of community. The result is what I would call social confusion, for lack of a better way to put it.

4. Slave Patrols

We see a gross abuse of legal authority in the form of slave patrols. Plantation owners and other free whites used them to ensure that enslaved people could’t move about freely at night. Generally, they used them to enforce the restrictions on slaves. Ultimately, they created an environment in which blacks felt hunted.

These patrols consisted of citizens who were doing their “civic duty”. They regulated the activity of slaves for pay, rewards, or in some cases exemption from other duties. That, in and of itself, should give you an idea of what “civilization” meant at the time. Remember, these people claimed that they were the product of civilization. Meanwhile, they considered it their civic duty to brutalize other human beings. They were the best example of white authority figures who abused that authority at will.

Those examples remain on the minds of Blacks in America to this day. Just look at the prevailing messages on social and mainstream media outlets. We see constant images of abuses of authority and police powers against blacks. Whether or not the rate is statistically higher than before is beside the point. It’s about what we see. And, there seems to be a desire to keep that coming by any means necessary.

It’s true that all cops aren’t bad people. In fact, the majority probably mean well. However, we need to see the bad ones dealt with at the same level of prejudice that he slave patrols showed toward blacks. Until then, it won’t matter if there are good ones. Many blacks will label them guilty by association. It’s not fair. It just is what it is.

5. Slave Codes Restricting Commerce

The two most important components to building wealth are time and money. Essentially, what that means is that the sooner we start building wealth the better. And, the more money we can earn, save, and invest, the better. Restrictions on Blacks regarding commerce stunted us in each of these areas.

Some slave codes meant to specifically limit or restrict slave trade and commerce. At first, many places gave enslaved people some land to work personally. Also, many allowed them to operate their own markets. Those codes that restricted the rights of enslaved people to buy, sell, and produce goods further destroyed black futures. Essentially, they limited the development of both of those key components to building wealth.

When folks question whether or not Blacks still feel the impacts today, it shows how simplicity of their thinking. All you have to do is look at the wealth gap between blacks and whites. It is foolish to think that it started after slavery. How do Blacks even begin to catch up with wealth that start growing while they were still in chains?

6. Slave Codes Regarding Punishment

Certain codes made it all but assured that black slaves would be mistreatment. They did this by removing the threat of punishment for bad treatment toward slaves. White masters enjoyed the ability to excuse their actions in an interesting way. All they had to do was say that the slave was “resisting”.

For example, the 1669 Virginia act mentioned previously. Remember the act about the casual killing of slaves? Again, it declared that masters who killed slaves deemed resisting were exempt from felony charges. So, all you had to do was say the slave was resisting and you were good to go. I’d say it’s human nature to try to defend yourself when someone is beating you. You’d probably resist if your skin was being torn apart too. Pain has a way of making you “resist”. Just like the pain that modern police officers inflict while yelling at you to “Stop Resisting!”

True enough, later laws aimed to make mistreating slaves a crime. In fact, under the Louisiana Civil Code of 1825 (art. 192), the judge could order the sale of the mistreated slave. The theory was that the slave will be sold to a better master. However, that’s not necessarily a deterrent, in the moment. Not while the “bad master” is literally beating the life out of his slave victim. Just like many of the weak punishments (if at all) that we see levied against over zealous police officers today. Just think about the psychological impacts still being felt.

7. Codes Restricting Education

Finally, we are still reeling from the effects of restrictions on education to this very day. Typical slave codes made it illegal to teach slaves to read. These codes were the foundation of anti-literacy laws. And, those anti-literacy laws affected slaves, freedmen, and in many cases all people of color.

Many Whites felt that literate slaves could forge the documents they needed to escape to freedom. That was a valid concern and it actually confirmed that they believed that Blacks weren’t the animals they claimed to believe that they were. In fact, according to black author William M. Banks, “Many slaves who learned to write did indeed achieve freedom by this method.” That’s also most likely why wanted posters for runaways often mentioned whether or not the escapee could write.

“Fun” Fact: The United States is the only country known to have had anti-literacy laws.

So what does this have to do with today?

Well, we know that individuals with low levels of literacy are more likely to experience poorer employment opportunities, outcomes, and lower income. Is the picture coming together yet? By now, you should be starting to see how that can affect families for generations.

Those things increase the likelihood of welfare dependency, low self-esteem, and higher levels of crime. All of which are detrimental to the black community for generations. Amazingly, many in this society just can’t seem to see the connection. It’s easy to blow it off when you aren’t or haven’t been in the thick of it. And, even then, believe it or not, it’s even easy to blow it off when you’ve survived it touting, “If I can do it, why can’t you?”

Why, because each of us is experiencing the aftermath in a different way.

Because each of us is seeing things from a slightly different perspective.

And, because we shouldn’t be trying to run from it in the first place.

The sooner we turn towards it and seek to understand on a deeper level, the better. The seven slave codes mentioned in this post are still affecting Black people in America in many ways. We must acknowledge that… and then get to work on addressing the issues. After all, they aren’t an excuse for us to fall short. However, to overlook the lingering damage is the epitome of foolishness.

Peace and Blessings!