Final answer:
The Black Codes were discriminatory state laws enacted after the Civil War to control the lives of Black people in the South and limit their rights. They denied basic rights such as voting, serving on juries, bearing arms, and free travel. Black codes effectively continued a system of oppression similar to slavery.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Black Codes were a series of discriminatory state laws enacted by southern states in the years following the American Civil War. These codes were based on the pre-emancipation Slave Codes and were designed to regulate and control the lives of Black people in the South. They denied basic rights to freedmen, such as the right to vote, serve on juries, bear arms, and freely travel. Black codes effectively criminalized Black leisure, limited their mobility, and locked many into exploitative farming contracts, essentially continuing a system of oppression similar to slavery.