Final answer:
The Black Codes and The Code Noir were sets of laws that regulated the lives of Black individuals. The Code Noir was enacted in French colonial Louisiana from 1685 until the 19th century, while the Black Codes were passed in the southern states in 1865-1866 after the Civil War. The Code Noir regulated the behavior and treatment of enslaved people, while the Black Codes aimed to maintain White supremacy and restrict the rights of freed African Americans.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Black Codes and The Code Noir were both sets of laws that regulated the lives of Black individuals, but they had some key differences.
A. Time Period
The Code Noir was enacted in 1685 in French colonial Louisiana and lasted until the 19th century. The Black Codes, on the other hand, were passed in most southern states in 1865-1866 after the Civil War.
B. Regulation of Black Individuals
The Code Noir regulated the behavior and treatment of enslaved people, free Blacks, and mixed-race individuals. It included rules about religious practice, marriage, punishment, and freedom. The Black Codes, on the other hand, were designed to maintain White supremacy and restricted the rights of freed African Americans, such as the right to vote, serve on juries, own land, or carry weapons.
C. Labor and Economic Control
The Code Noir included regulations on slave labor and the treatment of enslaved people. It also provided some protections and opportunities for enslaved individuals to earn their freedom. The Black Codes, however, aimed to reestablish the antebellum economic structure in the South, as planters were reluctant to transition from a slave economy to one where labor was purchased on the open market. The Black Codes effectively controlled black labor and limited their economic opportunities.
D. Purpose and Nature
The purpose of The Code Noir was to control the lives of enslaved individuals and maintain order in the French colonial society. The Black Codes, in contrast, were explicitly designed to maintain White supremacy and control the newly freed African American population in the post-Civil War South.
E. Citizenship
The Code Noir did not grant full citizenship to enslaved people, free Blacks, or mixed-race individuals. The Black Codes denied freed African Americans some fundamental rights and limited their citizenship, such as the right to serve on juries, testify against white individuals, and in some cases, even the right to rent or lease land.