The enactment of the Black Codes took place after the Civil War and at the beginning of the Reconstruction Era. The Reconstruction Era was a period that focused on the transformation of the United States (“Reconstruction: The Challenge of Freedom”, n.p). The Black Codes were passed with the aim of restricting the freedom of the African Americans. The laws also had the capability of compelling the blacks to work for low wages or debt in the labor economy (“Black Codes”, n.p). The enactment of the Black Codes should not have taken place as it was a propagation of racial discrimination against the African Americans. If I was living at that time, and in a position to influence decision-making, I would have approached the situation differently. For instance, I would have mobilized my fellow farmers and the elected representatives to enact laws that enhance equality. I would also be a fervent supporter of laws that punish white people who discriminate against black people. I would also ensure that the black people get the right to vote and elect leaders of their choice. In addition, black people would have the right to own and use property. Abolition of child labor would also be in my plans.
My first mission would be to ensure equality in the country. I would ensure that people are treated equally by the law, regardless of their race. The Black Codes were established to maintain white supremacy and also to ensure that there was a continuous supply of cheap labor from the African Americans. That should not have been the case because the Black Codes maintained the supremacy of the white people over the black people. My principles would be anchored on the victory of the Union after the Civil War. The defeat of the Confederacy was a clear sign that slavery would not be tolerated in America. My dream would also be anchored on the Thirteenth Amendment, which outlawed the whipping of black people in the name of disciplining them. Despite all these precedents, the Southerners went on to establish the Black Codes. This clearly shows that the new laws that the white southerners sought would only promote racial discrimination against the blacks (The Gale Group, Inc., n.p).
I would ensure that child labor is abolished, especially the practice of taking advantage of orphaned children. I would also ensure that black people are not separated from their family members. It is important to remember that the first code demanded the officers to only employ the orphaned African Americans. Once the orphans got into their master’s premises, they were not supposed to leave for any reason. In return, they would get free meals, a place to live and a nominal wage. Personally, I would not employ young children to work on my farm. I would also mobilize others farmers to do the same. I would also use my constitutional right to agitate for the abolition of child labor. This is something that denied the young children a chance to attend school and socialize with their family members.
Specifically, I would encourage the black people to make use of the Freedmen’s Bureau to avoid harassment. The Freedmen’s Bureau was created to protect the blacks from any hostilities from the white southerners. I would look for a means of empowering the black people by teaching them how Freedmen’s Bureau could assist to avoid re-enslavement. I would also ensure that the institution has proper financing and capacity to continue emancipating the black people. The Bureau was created to ensure that the blacks remained protected as much as it was important to revive the economy in the southern states. Together with the authorities of the South, the Freedmen’s Bureau placed the black workers on a contract (“The Freedmen's Bureau, 1865-1872”, n.p ).
Another instrumental change that I would spearhead is allowing the black people to vote. I would make sure that everyone living in the United States was given the power to vote. America was established on a foundation of democracy. One way of nurturing that democracy is through allowing each citizen to vote. The Black Codes prohibited the blacks from voting (“Slavery by another name”, n.p). For a long time, the minorities who included the women and the colored people were not allowed to vote. For this reason, they had no representation in the Congress. The code also restricted the blacks from gathering in groups to learn or read or for worship. The aim of the white southerners was to preserve slavery at all costs. I would have addressed that code differently by ensuring that the rights of the blacks to vote and to hold educative gatherings were upheld. America was already a free nation, and a constitution was already in place to protect all the people. I would vehemently oppose that code prohibiting black people from voting because it was against the constitution. To the whites, the only way to control the blacks was through vigilantism. The codes went as far as restricting the white employers from offering any form of enticement to the Black Americans employed by someone else.
The code on vagrancy required the African Americans to carry with them evidence (in written form) regarding their state of employment. This was a relay of the old system that promoted slavery and discrimination against the black people. Therefore, this was yet another reason the Black Codes should not have been enacted (“The Gale Group, Inc.”, n.p). I would address that matter differently by ensuring that black people were issued with decent identification documents just like any other American citizen. That would prevent discrimination because black people would not be harassed unnecessarily.
I would be one of those opposing corporal punishment. Corporal punishment was a means of punishing the black people either for small offenses or for things they did not commit. The Black Codes required the blacks charged with violating the state employment laws to be punished through a system of special county courts. Corporal chastisement was one of the draconian punishments for the African Americans who failed to respect the work system. Having a different system of punishing the black people would be uncalled for, especially not that slavery had been abolished. Another means of handling the matter differently would be to have a uniform punishment for all the people regardless of their skin color.
The right to own property would be put into law so that all the Americans are safeguarded by that law. The Black Codes restricted the blacks from owning property, conducting business, moving freely through public space and buying and leasing land. Failure to pay the required tax was also punishable. The best means of handling the matter would be through letting them own land and conduct their businesses without fear of victimization. A different way of laying down this particular law would be to grant the black Americans the right to own property and move freely.
The Black Codes denied the laborers from using the supplies in the plantations. Previously, the African American laborers were viewed as part of the domestic economy and for this, they would use the available supplies. However after getting their freedom, they were easily labeled as thieves by the owners in case they used the same supplies, even after working hard for them. The matter would be handled differently through ensuring that the black people got their rightful share of produce. Anyone violating that provision would then have to be arrested for going against the spirit of the equality for all in America.
Although some initiatives were good, they failed because of failing to consider that aspect of equality of all Americans. A good example is an act that intended to confer civil rights Mississippi. In the code, the Black Americans were only allowed to rent land only within the cities which consequently prevented these laborers from earning money as they were always required to be present at all times. Failure to honor such a law was termed as vagrancy and could lead to the arrest of the involved individual. It is my opinion that such matters would have been handled adequately by having laws in place to guarantee equality for all. To bring the difference, a code that gave the blacks the right to rent and even own land should have replaced this law. Abolishing things like the Pauper’s Oath would go a long way in ensuring that the culture of discrimination was eliminated in the society. Pauper’s Oath was meant to ensure that the white people did not show sympathy to the African American laborers. Other laws barring the blacks from buying liquor and carrying any weapons in the name of defense would have to be abolished too.
In conclusion, it is clear that the enactment of the Black Codes was a wrong move by the legislatures of the Southern States, as it propagated racial discrimination. All the laws did was re-establish the system of slavery after Emancipation. The southern states propagated the enactment of these codes as they were scared that the African Americans would revenge. They also needed their labor especially in the plantations with the purpose of reviving the collapsed economy due to the Civil War. The mentality of the whites that the blacks were destined for servitude proved that any efforts by people against slavery would receive a lot of rivalry. It would take a long time to acquire equality in the United States of America. Therefore, given a chance, there was a need to redo most of the codes, particularly to ensure that all the citizens were treated equally before the law. That would open the way for the black people to own property and conduct business anywhere in the country without fear of victimization. Another way of handling the matter differently would be through prohibiting child labor and giving the black people the right to participate in voting.
Works Cited
Black Codes. n.d. Web. 11 April 2016 <http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/black-codes>.
Reconstruction: The Challenge of Freedom. 26 July 2014. Web. 11 April 2016 <http://sageamericanhistory.net/reconstruction/reconstruction.html>.
Slavery by another name. n.d. Web. 11 April 2016 <http://www.pbs.org/tpt/slavery-by-another-name/themes/black-codes/>.
The Freedmen's Bureau, 1865-1872 . n.d. Web. 11 April 2016 <http://www.archives.gov/research/african-americans/freedmens-bureau/>.
The Gale Group, Inc. Black Codes. 2005. Web. 11 April 2016 <http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/black_codes.aspx>.
