What type of laws were the Black Codes and give some examples?

Black Codes were laws enacted in the Southern United States after the Civil War to restrict the rights and freedoms of newly freed African Americans. These laws aimed to maintain a system of racial subordination and included provisions such as requiring African Americans to sign labor contracts, limiting their ability to own property, and imposing harsh penalties for vagrancy. Examples include laws that mandated African Americans to work in agriculture or domestic service and banned them from certain occupations and public spaces. Overall, Black Codes sought to control the movement and economic opportunities of Black individuals, effectively perpetuating a form of racial discrimination and oppression.