The term "black codes" refers to a series of laws enacted in Southern states after the Civil War during Reconstruction.

These laws aimed to limit the freedoms and rights of newly freed African Americans, effectively maintaining a system of racial subordination. Black codes sought to control labor, restrict mobility, and enforce racial segregation, often by imposing harsh penalties for minor offenses. The codes reflected the South's resistance to the changes brought about by emancipation and contributed to the establishment of discriminatory practices that would persist for decades.