Understanding Why Slaves Were Not Allowed to Marry or Legally Possess their Children

Slave codes were laws set to govern the relationship between the owners and the enslaved in the United States.  These laws defined the privileges of the owners, and the extreme limitations of those in servitude.  Slave codes varied from state to state; however, because slaves were considered property, the codes were not fit to be implemented on human beings. There were multitudinous codes that applied to the slave master-slave relationship, and none of these laws expressed any value that could be applied to the lives of blacks in this country during slavery.

Below, you will find 10 of the most absurd slave codes that were enforced as late as the 1,800s:

1. Slaves were not allowed to attend church or any social or religious gathering. This would eventually change as slave owners would begin to ordain ministers for the purpose of propagated a message of servility and obligation to the master. Religion was not introduced to slaves for the purpose of improving their spiritual condition, it was recognized as one of the most effective ways to manage and subjugate a highly spiritual people.

2. Because they were regarded as property themselves, slaves could not own any property. This law may seem insignificant; however, it is a primary element in the equation that facilitate the current struggles of blacks in America. Because blacks were not allowed to own property, it made it impossible for them to build wealth. This is why blacks in 2015 only own one half of one percent of this nation’s wealth — the exact same percentage we owned on the eve of the civil war. This economic castration has frozen the capacity of blacks to build and grow in this country. We simply don’t have the tools to compete.

3. Because they were thought of as “chattel,” slaves were not to receive wages for their services and hard labor. This is subsequent and inextricably bound to the information in number 2.

4. Slaves were prohibited from being educated. They were not allowed to go to schools, nor were they allowed to study, read or write. In fact in some states, if one was caught teaching a slave to read or to write, he would be subject to a fine of $100. Additionally, the slave could be whipped or beaten, even to the point of death. Ignorance of self is an extremely important element of subjugation, and the ability to read threatened the entire power structure of white supremacy.

5. Slaves were prohibited from getting married. Since they were not recognized as legal entities, they could not engage into a legal contract of marriage. Their marriage would not be recognized by law.  If they had children, the children would likewise be owned and could be sold to other owners. Slaves had no marital right, parental right or any legal right. It is essential to understand what slavery did to the nuclear family structure of black, and how that has translated into many of the modern issues that we are current facing. The ability of slaves to create and maintain nuclear families was highly dependent upon the needs of the slave owner. As circumstance of slavery changed across place and time, the opportunities for slaves to marry — in a non-legal union — also fluctuated. The ability to create a stable family unit became increasing difficult as families were sold away from each other.

6. Enslaved men and women could be merchandised as a property. They were sold, purchased, and bartered. They could also be given up as security or for payment of debt, and passed on from an inheritance. (See number 5)

7. If slaves tried to escape from his or her owner or master, the owner had the right to look for, reclaim, and kill him or her for the crime, if he chooses to. What many blacks don’t realize, is that there is a very simple explanation for why they have indian in their bloodline. Where so many blacks love to claim their indian heritage, while shunning their African roots, it might worth noting that their indian heritage is more than likely the result of Indian slave masters sleeping with their female slaves. Yes, indians owned slaves. not only that, they were often used to track and catch runaway slaves. They were know to be quite brutal in the manner in which they treated black slaves.

8. Because they were considered property, slaves could not file a complaint, nor a suit against their masters. There were no acceptable channels through which a slave could file a compliant against their masters for mistreatment. To be honest, not much has changed.

9. They were not allowed to work for their freedom, nor were the owners allowed to grant them their freedom.

10. There were no restrictions on what an owner could demand of a slave, or what the owner could do to the slave.  Even if it constituted abuse or resulted in the death of the slave, owners could enforce their limitless power over their slaves in any way they saw fit.

It may be difficult to believe that our ancestors had to succumb to such inhuman practices, being treated as animals or objects.  Although the abolition of slave codes is recorded on the books, the practice is very much still alive in contemporary culture. The methodolgy is different, but the results are the same — oppression and subjugation.  A significant issue that blacks face currently is the proclivity to appeal to the moral turpitude of an immoral people and system. We must understand that it was not morality that freed us, but need to unify the nation. It wa an economic issue between the North and South, nothing more. We were simply the ponds sacrificed on the grand chessboard of life. It is time that we take the necessary steps to make our presence felt in this game of strategy and will.

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