The Black Code

After the defeat of Reconstruction in the mid-to-late 1800's, the State of Mississippi was the first to enact a set of laws that became to be known as The Black Code. These were laws which specifically spelled out offences which, when committed by a person of color, could be punished by an equally specific sentence. No distinctions were made as to age or gender. These laws were applied universally across the entire non-white population. Offences ranged from Insolence (as seen in the eye of the beholder) to Theft to Rape and Murder. The latter two, if committed against a member of the white population, were summarily dealt with via a common and accepted practice - lynch law. Cause of death always read the same, "death at the hands of unknown parties." Every non-white was at constant risk. For more on this subject, read David Oshinsky's excellent book: Worse Than Slavery--Parchment Farm and the Ordeal of Jim Crow Justice (Free Press Paperbacks/Simon & Schuster, ISBN 0-684-83095-7)