Black Codes Southerners passed Black Codes for many reasons but their main purpose was to ensure control. The southerner’s main desire was to maintain control over newly freed African Americans. This group included all freedmen, all Negroes, and all mulattoes. The targets of the back codes are made clear due to the large amount of repetition stating “All freedmen, all Negroes, and all mulattoes.” Many a time through out the codes. In section three a true restriction is clearly seen. In this section it is stating how intermarriage is prohibited. This particular law seems to have been passed to stall the rising population of African Americans and Mulattoes. The White Southerners were very fearful of this rising populous due to the fact that they may some day be equal in number, if not a higher percentage of African Americans. This particular law is fueled by the fear that the white southerners contain inside of them. Section seven is the most apparent form of control. Seen here is a law stating that if a freedman chooses to abandon their current employment they may be arrested and carried back to their employer. This is an obviously restrictive law due to the extreme similarities to slavery. The law is so similar in fact that it may be perceived as slavery due to how it was practiced on many plantations and situations where slaves were either owned or present. The only difference is that they are not technically owned any more and can not be mercilessly beaten and or killed. The last section of the Black Codes, which is section nine, seems almost contradictory to the whole purpose of the Black Codes. This can be viewed this way because it is a law that has to do strictly with the white populous. This law is prohibiting white southerners from making freedmen, etc. quit their jobs or leave without being allowed to do so. This law is passed seemingly to keep the