African American Slave Codes

When African Americans were enslaved, it was not of their own will. They were dictated under Whites, suppressing the rights of slaves to the point where they were mere objects. Overpowered by their own people for being seen as criminals or thugs, they were packed below deck onto ships headed to a foreign land. Each man on the vessel had roughly only two square feet of room they could claim for themselves. In this space crammed with four hundred other African Americans, disease accumulated within the air they all shared. Those infected would be forced overboard or committed suicide from the unbearable pain. Those who survived were treated very similar to cattle. This new land was a prison no different from the ships. They were shacked up in cages like animals and pulled out when
The multiplying amount of inhabitants brought in hereditary slavery. This meant those born with parents burdened of a life meant to serve Caucasians would follow that path as well. This rule perpetuated the system of slavery with very few loopholes. In order to further enforce this notion, Slave Codes were implemented. These set of laws were placed as a precaution of rebellions and restricted what little rights they had left. This gave owners complete and absolute control setting every action slaves could and could not do. For example, they could determine if slaves were able to wield weapons, if they could fight back in self-defense, when they would eat, how long they would work, etc. Even the Constitution which upheld the country gave the people trapped in this system little opportunities to seek freedom. They closely expressed that no matter what state they were located in, even ones with justice for slaves, they would never be lifted from their duties to White men (Boyd 23). If their duties were unattended or done poorly, they would be penalized with