What was the purpose of black codes during reconstruction?

The purpose of black codes during Reconstruction was to restrict the freedoms of newly emancipated African Americans and maintain white supremacy in the South. These laws aimed to control the labor and behavior of Black individuals, forcing them into exploitative labor contracts and limiting their rights to own property, vote, or access education. By instituting these codes, Southern states sought to re-establish a social and economic order that resembled the antebellum system, despite the formal abolition of slavery.