BLACK CODES: IN LATIN AMERICA

Liliana Obregón, Black Codes in Latin America",Microsoft® Encarta® Africana Third Edition. © 1998-2000 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Black Codes in Latin America I INTRODUCTION Black Codes in Latin America, a comprehensive and methodically... More

Liliana Obregón, Black Codes in Latin America",Microsoft® Encarta® Africana Third Edition. © 1998-2000 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Black Codes in Latin America I INTRODUCTION Black Codes in Latin America, a comprehensive and methodically organized set of 17th-century French and late-18th-century Spanish colonial laws that sought to impose a system of social, religious, and property relations upon African slaves and the European and Creole population. The Black Codes comprise an elaborate set of principles, rules, and procedures that were designed to protect plantation economies and prevent slaves from running away. But because they conflicted with the slaveholders' actual interests and practices—the codes specified minimal standards for slaves' food and clothing, restrictions on punishments, and means of achieving manumission—they were rarely implemented. Nevertheless, the codes give insight into the working conditions, economic interests, and social practices of the Fr Less