The Black Codes Chapter Summary

Sad, angry, deceived, and hopeful are some of the emotions I felt when reading “The Black Codes.” The reading, referred to the partial abolishment of slavery in the 1850’s and 1900’s when new systems of oppression emerged. One of the widely known systems used to enslave free African Americans became known as the Black Codes, a series of laws that unjustly incarcerated them into labor contracts. The action of the Black Codes to segregate an ethnic group and proclaim them as criminals and their behavior as a crime became known as criminalization. Although, criminalization continues to be enacted on different ethnic groups the Black Codes didn’t persist in American society. However, today we are able to witness criminalization at a larger scale with the prosecution of African American, Latinos and other ethnic groups. Two of the main events that happened this year were not only atrocious, but heartbreaking to observe. One of the events comprised the brutality with which American police officers persecuted African Americans throughout the nation. Primarily, the case of Michael Brown sparked controversy when he was shot by a policeman who assumed Michael was carrying a weapon. This was not the only case in which this ethnic group was the protagonist as more cases surrounding the deaths of African Americans in the hands of …show more content…
It is an action that has conveyed suffering to numerous races and brought a feeling of exclusion, terror and prejudice. In addition, it is necessary for society to learn about criminalization, its roots and how it is affecting thousands of innocent people. Those considered “minorities” continue to struggle as police men persecute them not for their actions but their skin tone. Every life is valuable and if civilization endures in deeming some lives as unworthy I fear that slavery or genocide might