Question

How did the development of the black codes affect South Carolina during reconstruction?

A: Republican leaders felt the black codes supported the reconstruction amendments recently enacted.
B: The adoption of the black codes served as evidence of African American political participation in South Carolina.
C: Black codes protected African Americans from the discriminatory practices of landowners during Reconstruction.
D: The black codes helped maintain the social customs and rules that existed prior to the Civil War.

Answer 1

The correct answer to how the developmnet of black codes affected South Carolina during Reconstruction is D: The black codes helped maintain the social customs and rules that existed prior to the civil war.

After the Civil War, whites from South Carolina wanted to restrict or eliminate the recent freedom achieved by Blacks, so they adopted a new constitution full of black codes and what would eventually be known as Jim Crow laws in order to return Blacks to their pre-war slavery.

These black codes restricted African American's freedom and forced them to work in an economy based on low wages or debt. They also prevented Blacks from voting, serve on juries and even from the right to rent or lease land. The main objective of the black codes was to legaly uphold white supremacy and keep African Americans in a pre-war status similar to slavery.