On November 22, 1865, the Mississippi legislature passed one of the first sets of Black Codes in the post-Civil War South. These laws severely restricted the rights, freedom of movement, and economic independence of freedmen—African Americans who had recently been emancipated from slavery.

The Mississippi Black Codes:

• Compelled freedmen to sign labor contracts with white employers or face punishment.

• Criminalized vagrancy, allowing authorities (often white citizens) to arrest Black individuals for being unemployed or “idle.”

• Restricted land ownership and mobility.

• Denied Black people the right to serve on juries or testify against whites.

These laws aimed to maintain white supremacy and reestablish a system of racial control resembling slavery. Other Southern states quickly followed Mississippi’s lead, prompting strong opposition from the federal government and eventually leading to the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1866 and the 14th Amendment.