The Black Codes: Southern Legislation After the Civil War #311

Byne Frances Goodman’s 1912 thesis, “The Black Codes, 1865-1866,” explores the legal restrictions placed on newly freed African Americans in the South following the Civil War. The work analyzes the specific laws enacted in various states, examining their provisions regarding civil rights, labor contracts, vagrancy, and criminal justice. Goodman details both the content of the codes and the opposition they generated from the North and some Southern critics. The thesis contextualizes the codes within the social and economic upheaval of Reconstruction, explaining the motivations and perspectives of Southern lawmakers. Ultimately, the thesis argues that while some code provisions were protective, the codes represented an attempt to maintain a racial hierarchy. The extensive bibliography reveals a study grounded in primary sources like Congressional records and state laws alongside secondary analyses of the Reconstruction era.