Name: ___________________________
Date: _________________
Black Codes
Essential Question
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Do Now
Read and annotate this excerpt from The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander:
“The end of slavery created an extraordinary dilemma for Southern white society.
Without the labor of former slaves, the region’s economy would surely collapse.
Following the Civil War, the economic and political infrastructure of the South was
in shambles. Plantation owners were suddenly destitute, and state governments,
shackled by war debt, were penniless. Large amounts of real estate and other
property had been destroyed in the war, industry was disorganized, and hundreds
of thousands of men had been killed or maimed.
Add to this the sudden presence of 4 million newly freed slaves, and the picture
becomes even more complicated. Former slaves literally walked away from their
plantations, causing panic and outrage among plantation owners. Large numbers
of former slaves roamed the highways in early years after the war. Most white
people believed African Americans lacked the proper motivation to work, prompting
the provisional Southern legislatures to adopt the notorious black codes.
Nine Southern states adopted vagrancy laws – which essentially made it a criminal
offense not to work and were applied selectively to blacks – and eight of those
states enacted convict laws allowing for the hiring-out of county prisoners to
plantation owners and private companies. Prisoners were forced to work for little
or no pay.”
Recollect: What do you know about the “Black Codes” and how they were used to economically
subjugate African-Americans after the abolition of slavery?
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Mississippi Black Codes of 1865
Each group will receive one section of Mississippi law from 1865. Together with other similar
pieces of legislation, these laws became known as the “Black Code.” Most Southern states
enacted these types of laws after the Civil War.
DIRECTIONS: With your group, close read and annotate the section of the law you receive.
Then, summarize the law in your own words in the table below.
Create a poster that your classmates can use to better understand Mississippi’s Black Codes. It
should include four things:
1. Your annotated law,
2. Your summary of the law,
3. A visual that shows your understanding of the law, and
4. Your group members’ names.
One your poster is finished, put it up on the wall. Then, use your classmates’ finished posters to
fill out the following tables with your notes.
Notes from “Mississippi Black Codes” Jigsaw
MY Group Members:
Name of Act:
Summary:
Section:
Group Members:
Name of Act:
Section:
Summary:
Group Members:
Name of Act:
Section:
Summary:
Group Members:
Name of Act:
Section:
Summary:
Group Members:
Name of Act:
Section:
Summary:
Group Members:
Name of Act:
Summary:
Section:
Group Members:
Name of Act:
Section:
Summary:
Group Members:
Name of Act:
Section:
Summary:
Exit Ticket:
Using your knowledge of Mississippi’s Black Codes, answer the Essential Question.
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