Laws restricting the movement, gatherings, and behavior of enslaved people are known as?

• A. Slave codes
• B. Black codes
• C. Slave patrols
• D. Predecessors of modern policing

Answer: (A)

Slave codes are the laws enacted in colonial and early American society that defined the status of enslaved people and tightly regulated their movement, gatherings, and behavior. They often required passes to travel, prohibited or severely restricted assemblies, and imposed harsh penalties for disobedience. These statutes created a legal framework that legitimized slavery and gave enslavers broad authority to control nearly every aspect of enslaved people’s lives. Black Codes refer to post–Civil War laws aimed at restricting the rights of freed Black people, not enslaved individuals, and slave patrols were organized groups that enforced these kinds of restrictions.