The Black Codes were designed to specificaly point out what all African Americans could and couldn't do. Black Codes granted certain rights such as marriage and owning property. However it limited access to courts and denied African Americans the right to testify against whites. Also signing labor cotracts was mandatory, failure to do so meant facing arrest. The black codes were used as a way to let African Americans enjoy just enough freedom. While currently being put back in place buy the white man. Those codes had several rules set in place that mean jail time, forced labor or arrest if certain demands weren't met.
