Slave codes were laws developed by North American jurisdictions in the 1600s to regulate the status of slaves, their masters’ rights, and the acceptable treatment of slaves. These laws left slaves with few legal rights, including the right to own property, sign contracts, or defend themselves against bodily harm. Slave codes also regulated where slaves could go, their ability to learn to read or write, and their right to assemble. Marriages between slaves were illegal, and freed slaves were often required to leave the jurisdiction. These laws were also applied to people of other races who were enslaved.
In the 1600s, Africans were being transported to America as slaves, and eventually the African slave trade became a major part of the North American economy. Government bodies in North American jurisdictions developed laws that came to be referred to as slave codes. These laws were used to indicate the status of slaves in each jurisdiction, the rights of their masters, and the acceptable treatment of those held in bondage. In most cases, the codes made ownership of slaves rather than human beings. This meant that their masters owned them, in much the same way they might own a horse, house, or piece of furniture.
Slave codes typically left slaves with few, if any, legal rights. In most cases, a slave had no legal right to own property. He could not sign or enter into a contract and his testimony, when given in a case involving Caucasians, was usually inadmissible in court. These laws even made it illegal for a slave to defend himself against bodily harm. If a Caucasian person attacked a slave, the slave could not fight back, even to save his life. If he did, he could be punished with lashes, imprisonment or even death.
Often, a jurisdiction’s slave codes governed the very things people take for granted today, such as the right to learn to read or write. It was generally illegal for slaves to learn to read or write, and they could not hold meetings or assemblies. However, there was often an exception to this rule. They may be allowed to assemble if a Caucasian is present. Slave codes typically also regulated where a slave could go; in most cases, it was illegal for a slave to leave his master’s property without his permission.
There were also codes that made marriages between slaves illegal. Since slaves were not allowed to enter into legal contracts, marriage was forbidden because it is a type of contract. Some slaves got married in secret. They did so at their own peril, however, as the punishment for this activity could be very harsh.
Interestingly, slave codes often included laws for freed slaves. For example, codes in some places required freed slaves to leave the jurisdiction in which they had been enslaved. Additionally, slave codes were often applied to people who were not of African descent but were still bound in slavery. For example, Indians and people of other races were also sometimes enslaved.
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