NC's original 1868 Constitution
This is the state of NC's original 1868 Constitution, the first to grant rights and privileges to emancipated former enslaved African Americans of NC.
While this constitution granted privlages and rights to the former enslaved African Americans of NC, these freedoms, privilages and rights were limited by the creation of the "Black Codes".
This is the state of NC's original 1868 Constitution, the first to grant rights and privileges to emancipated former enslaved African Americans of NC.
While this constitution granted privlages and rights to the former enslaved African Americans of NC, these freedoms, privilages and rights were limited by the creation of the "Black Codes".
In the first two years after the Civil War, white-dominated southern legislatures passed Black Codes modeled after the earlier slave codes. They were particularly concerned with controlling movement and labor, as slavery had given way to a free labor system. Although freedmen had been emancipated, their lives were greatly restricted by the Black Codes.
The term Black Codes was given by "negro leaders and the Republican organs", according to historian John S. Reynolds. The defining feature of the Black Codes was broad vagrancy law, which allowed local authorities to arrest freed people for minor infractions and commit them to involuntary labor. This period was the start of the convict lease system, also described as "slavery by another name" by Douglas Blackmon in his 2008 book on this topic
In the United States, the Black Codes were laws passed by Southern states in 1865 and 1866. These laws had the intent and the effect of restricting African Americans' freedom, and of compelling them to work in a labor economy based on low wages or debt.
Black Codes were part of a larger pattern of Southern whites trying to suppress the new freedom of emancipated African-American slaves, the freedmen. Black Codes were also enacted by Northern states such as Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and New York prior to the Civil War to ban free blacks from residing in those states.
Since the colonial period, colonies and states had passed laws that discriminated against free Blacks. In the South, these were generally included in "slave codes"; the goal was to reduce influence of free blacks (particularly after slave rebellions) because of their potential influence on slaves. Restrictions included prohibiting them from voting (although North Carolina allowed this before 1831), bearing arms, gathering in groups for worship and learning to read and write. A major purpose of these laws was to preserve slavery.
READ More About Black Codes Here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Codes_(United_States)
READ More About the NC Constitution Here:
http://digital.ncdcr.gov/.../collection/p16062coll32/id/519
And Here:
https://www.ncpedia.org/anchor/1868-constitution
The Hawley Museum is passionately committed to uncovering and sharing the fascinating family stories that have influenced our state's and nation's history. We believe that every family has a unique story to tell, one that adds depth to the rich tapestry of North Carolina and U.S. History.
We encourage you to reflect on your own family narrative—did your ancestors play a pivotal role in these historical events? We invite you to become a part of our family curator team by sharing your family's history, whether it be through photos, videos, articles, or documents.
Let’s work together and weave a more comprehensive narrative that honors the roles families have played in our collective past to inspire future museum visitors.
The Hawley Museum is passionately committed to uncovering and sharing the fascinating family stories that have influenced our state's and nation's history. We believe that every family has a unique story to tell, one that adds depth to the rich tapestry of North Carolina and U.S. History.
We encourage you to reflect on your own family narrative—did your ancestors play a pivotal role in these historical events? We invite you to become a part of our family curator team by sharing your family's history, whether it be through photos, videos, articles, or documents.
Let’s work together and weave a more comprehensive narrative that honors the roles families have played in our collective past to inspire future museum visitors.