Why were Slave Codes made?
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Slave codes were made because the slave population was rising and rebellions were starting to become a fear for people.
What were the Slave codes?
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Slave codes were laws that were made to restrict the slaves.
What did these laws include?
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Slaves could not own their own property.
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Slaves could not meet up without a white person present.
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Slaves that didn't live on a plantation had certain curfews they had to follow by.
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Slaves that were accused of a crime against a white person always lost and had no say in the case.
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It was illegal to teach a slave how to read and write.
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Slaves couldn't be married, and if they were it was legal to separate a couple in an auction.
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A slave could not carry a gun.
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Any slave guilty of rape, arson, or planning a rebellion would be put to death.
Slave Codes continued to get more and more strict as rebellions continued, limiting the slaves with every new law added.
Sources
http://www.ushistory.org/us/6f.asp
Links
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