Black Code

[ blak kohd ]

noun

, U.S. History.

1. (in the ex-Confederate states) any code of law that defined and especially limited the rights of formerly enslaved African Americans in the period immediately following the Civil War.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Black Code¹

First recorded in 1745–50

Example Sentences

That last line, historians say, set the stage for the continuation of slavery through convict leasing and “Black code” laws that would restrict the freedom of Black people.

From Washington Post

Colbert's "Black Code" allowed for slaves to be branded, have their ears cut off and be executed for escape attempts.

From Washington Post

Among other cruelties, Colbert’s notorious “Black Code” allowed for slaves to be branded, have their ears cut off and be executed for escape attempts.

From Seattle Times

The permanent exhibition will start from 1685, when King Louis XIV passed the Code Noir, or Black Code, legislation meant to regulate the conditions of slavery in French colonies.

From Washington Times

Drawing on what the writer Greg Tate, in an early piece on Gallagher, called “deep Black code” as well as on daisy-chains of personal allusions, Gallagher improvises her own, distinctively dreamy form of conceptual art.

From Washington Post