The Black Codes (Jim Crow Laws)
Immediately after the end of Reconstruction, Black Codes (Jim Crow laws) were passed throughout the states of the former Confederacy. These laws served to strip blacks of their civil rights and citizenship. Read through the list of examples and answer the questions below.
1. What laws most disturbed you? Why?
2. What law surprised you the most? Why?
3. Why types of laws seemed most common? Why do you think so?
4. Is there a pattern to how the laws are written? Do they speak to blacks and whites equally?
5. At whom are the laws directed? Who is asked to do something? Give some examples.