What Specific Restrictions Were Put On Free Blacks In South Carolina

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Slave Codes Slave codes were strict laws that slaves had to abide by, in order to avoid severe punishment. Any slave that broke a code were subject to punishment, and those punishments included being tried in court, whipping, and even worse things like execution or imprisonment. The slave codes were harsh and wrong, and many abolitionists reacted to them arguably. What specific restrictions were set on slaves? Were the same restrictions put on free blacks? South Carolina’s slave codes were just some of the restrictive rules put on slaves. Some specific restrictions put on slaves stated that they couldn’t leave their owners land without permission or an escort from a white person, any slave attempting to run away would be sentenced to a death penalty, plus no slave was allowed to work for pay. Keep in mind that these were just some of the codes, not all. The same restrictions were not placed on free blacks, but free blacks were definitely looked down upon back then, sometimes as evil among the slavery community. …show more content…

“The reaction of free blacks to slave codes largely depended on where they lived. According to the Library of Congress, many free blacks in the South could do little in the way of opposing the slave codes because they were barred from travelling or assembling peacefully.” (How did free blacks respond to the slave codes? Reference) It has also been mentioned that free blacks would pair with abolitionists and help come up with escape routes for un-free slaves. This implies that the free blacks wanted to help them, and get them out of the abusing situations, further saying that the blacks didn’t want the harsh slave code punishments to keep happening. Slaves, free or not always wanted an opportunity out for complete

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