During the Reconstruction Era, the "Black Codes"

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The "Black Codes" were a series of laws passed by southern states in the immediate aftermath of the Civil War. These codes aimed to restrict the economic opportunities of Freed people by imposing harsh penalties on them for minor offenses like loitering or vagrancy. The codes also sought to maintain the racial hierarchy of the South by limiting the rights and freedoms of Black people. Although the Black Codes did not reestablish slavery, they did contribute to the creation of a system of forced labor known as "convict leasing."