Slave Codes Slave Codes were sets of laws during the colonial period and/or in individual states after the American Revolution, which defined the status of slaves and the rights and responsibilities of slave owners. Many provisions were designed to control slave populations and preempt rebellion. For example, slaves were prohibited from reading and writing, and owners were mandated to regularly search slave residencies for suspicious activity. Some codes prohibited slaves from possessing weapons, leaving their owner's plantations without permission, and lifting a hand against a white person, even in self-defense.
There were several unifying concepts shared throughout the slave states. For example, slaves were not permitted to carry firearms in any of the slave states, and teaching a slave to read or write was generally illegal - although it often took place as children taught each other. While codes had many common …show more content…
Compared to some southern codes, the District of Columbia was relatively moderate. Slaves were allowed to hire their services and live apart from their masters, and free blacks were even allowed to live in the city and operate schools. The code was often used by attorneys and clerks who referred to it when drafting contracts or briefs. Following the Compromise of 1850, the sale of slaves was outlawed within Washington D.C., and slavery in the District of Columbia ended in 1862 with nearly 3,000 slaveholders being offered a compensation. The official printed slave code was issued only a month before slavery ended there.
Slave codes in the Northern colonies were less harsh than slave codes in the Southern colonies, but contained many similar provisions. These included forbidding slaves from leaving the owner's land, forbidding whites from selling alcohol to slaves, and specifying punishment for attempting to
There were several unifying concepts shared throughout the slave states. For example, slaves were not permitted to carry firearms in any of the slave states, and teaching a slave to read or write was generally illegal - although it often took place as children taught each other. While codes had many common …show more content…
Compared to some southern codes, the District of Columbia was relatively moderate. Slaves were allowed to hire their services and live apart from their masters, and free blacks were even allowed to live in the city and operate schools. The code was often used by attorneys and clerks who referred to it when drafting contracts or briefs. Following the Compromise of 1850, the sale of slaves was outlawed within Washington D.C., and slavery in the District of Columbia ended in 1862 with nearly 3,000 slaveholders being offered a compensation. The official printed slave code was issued only a month before slavery ended there.
Slave codes in the Northern colonies were less harsh than slave codes in the Southern colonies, but contained many similar provisions. These included forbidding slaves from leaving the owner's land, forbidding whites from selling alcohol to slaves, and specifying punishment for attempting to