Slave codes were laws that defined and enforced chattel slavery as a race-based, inheritable, lifelong status. Built into colonial and state law (e.g., South Carolina’s 1740 code and Louisiana’s Code Noir), they restricted movement, gatherings, learning to read, owning weapons, interracial marriage, and wearing certain clothes—basically limiting everyday freedom and legal rights (EK 2.7.A.2). Lawmakers created them to protect the slave-based economy and to prevent and punish resistance; many codes were tightened after uprisings like the 1739 Stono Rebellion (EK 2.7.B.1–2). Legally, slave codes hardened the color line by reserving protections and mobility for white people and denying them to Black people (EK 2.7.A.3–4). On the AP exam you should connect these codes to landmark cases and constitutional language (e.g., Dred Scott) and use required sources from Topic 2.7 (see the topic study guide: https://library.fiveable.me/ap-african-american-studies/unit-2/7-slave-codes-and-landmark-cases/study-guide/LJ3LluHSLHD8k3xj). For more practice, check the unit page (https://library.fiveable.me/ap-african-american-studies/unit-2) and practice problems (https://library.fiveable.me/practice/ap-african-american-studies).

Good question—the framers avoided the words “slave” and “slavery” largely for political reasons. Delegates knew slavery was controversial and that using the term outright could block ratification. So the Constitution used euphemisms and compromise language (e.g., “Persons held to Service or Labour,” the Three-Fifths Compromise in Article I, and the Fugitive Slave-related clause in Article IV) to keep Northern and Southern states together. That ambiguity protected Southern slaveholding interests while making the document acceptable to enough states. Removing the explicit term also left room for later legal battles—like Dred Scott—and eventually required the Thirteenth Amendment (the first time “slavery” appears) to abolish it outright. For the AP exam, connect this to EK 2.7.A.1, the Three-Fifths Compromise, fugitive slave laws, and how later landmark cases and amendments changed constitutional meaning. For a focused review, see the Topic 2.7 study guide (https://library.fiveable.me/ap-african-american-studies/unit-2/7-slave-codes-and-landmark-cases/study-guide/LJ3LluHSLHD8k3xj) and practice questions (https://library.fiveable.me/practice/ap-african-american-studies).

The Stono Rebellion (1739) was a large slave uprising near Charleston, South Carolina: a group of enslaved people—many recently arrived from Central Africa—marched south from the Stono River, killed several white colonists, and attempted to reach Spanish Florida (where freedom was promised). Colonial militia suppressed the revolt, killing many rebels and executing others. In response, South Carolina tightened legal control: the 1740 South Carolina slave code clarified chattel slavery as lifelong, race-based, and inheritable, banned gatherings, drumming, literacy, movement between colonies, and outlawed self-defense by Black people (see EK 2.7.B.1–B.2). These changes hardened the racial color line, reduced opportunities for free Black people, and show how slave codes developed directly from resistance (LO 2.7.B). For AP review, this topic appears in Topic 2.7—check the Fiveable study guide (https://library.fiveable.me/ap-african-american-studies/unit-2/7-slave-codes-and-landmark-cases/study-guide/LJ3LluHSLHD8k3xj) and practice questions (https://library.fiveable.me/practice/ap-african-american-studies).

In the North, free Black people had more legal protections than in the South but still faced heavy discrimination: some free states barred their entry, many restricted voting (e.g., New York) or testimony against white people (e.g., Ohio), and economic/opportunity barriers limited upward mobility (EK 2.7.A.4). In the South, laws and slave codes were far harsher: many statutes presumed Black people inferior, restricted movement, assembly, education, interracial marriage, and even criminalized self-defense—making free status precarious and opening the door to kidnapping or re-enslavement (EK 2.7.A.2–3; 2.7.B). Landmark rulings like Dred Scott reinforced that Black people—enslaved or free—were denied national citizenship until the Reconstruction Amendments (EK 2.7.B.3). For quick AP review, see the Topic 2.7 study guide (https://library.fiveable.me/ap-african-american-studies/unit-2/7-slave-codes-and-landmark-cases/study-guide/LJ3LluHSLHD8k3xj) and practice questions (https://library.fiveable.me/practice/ap-african-american-studies).

The Code Noir was a specific French/colonial slave code (Louisiana 1724) while “regular” slave codes refers more broadly to English/colonial codes like South Carolina’s 1740 law. Both legalized chattel slavery, racialized status, and restrictions on movement, assembly, learning, and manumission (CED EK 2.7.A.2–3). But the Code Noir put stronger emphasis on Catholic regulation: mandatory Catholic instruction, limits on non-Catholic worship, and rules about recognizing enslaved people’s marriages while banning interracial marriage. English-derived codes (e.g., S.C. 1740) more explicitly focused on policing resistance—banning gatherings, literacy, drumming, escape, and even authorizing extreme punishments after rebellions like Stono (CED EK 2.7.B.1–2). Remember: Code Noir is a required source in Topic 2.7 for the AP exam (use it when answering DBQ/short answers). For the study guide on this topic, see Fiveable’s Topic 2.7 study guide (https://library.fiveable.me/ap-african-american-studies/unit-2/7-slave-codes-and-landmark-cases/study-guide/LJ3LluHSLHD8k3xj). Want practice applying this to DBQ prompts? Try problems at Fiveable (https://library.fiveable.me/practice/ap-african-american-studies).

In Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857) the Supreme Court, led by Chief Justice Roger B. Taney, ruled three key things: 1) African Americans—whether enslaved or free—were not considered U.S. citizens and therefore had no standing to sue in federal court; 2) Congress had no authority to prohibit slavery in federal territories, so the Missouri Compromise was unconstitutional; and 3) enslaved people were property protected by the Constitution. That decision legally hardened the racialized line of citizenship (CED EK 2.7.A.3, EK 2.7.B.3) and intensified sectional conflict. Remember: the ruling was later nullified by the Reconstruction Amendments—especially the Thirteenth and Fourteenth. For AP review, the Dred Scott excerpts are a required source in Topic 2.7 (see the topic study guide: https://library.fiveable.me/ap-african-american-studies/unit-2/7-slave-codes-and-landmark-cases/study-guide/LJ3LluHSLHD8k3xj) and you can practice related questions at Fiveable (https://library.fiveable.me/practice/ap-african-american-studies).

South Carolina’s 1740 slave code banned Black people from defending themselves against white people to protect white power and prevent uprisings. After the Stono Rebellion (1739) lawmakers tightened control (EK 2.7.B.1). The code treated Black people as “nonsubjects” and presumed them enslaved, denying legal personhood and basic protections (EK 2.7.A.2, EK 2.7.A.3). Making self-defense a capital crime removed any legal excuse a Black person could use, discouraged resistance, and ensured whites faced no criminal consequences when they used violence to control people enslaved. In short, the law used race-based legal status to harden the color line and protect white authority rather than protect victims. For exam study, this idea is central to LO 2.7.A/B and the South Carolina 1740 excerpt (see the Topic 2.7 study guide on Fiveable: https://library.fiveable.me/ap-african-american-studies/unit-2/7-slave-codes-and-landmark-cases/study-guide/LJ3LluHSLHD8k3xj). Practice related questions at https://library.fiveable.me/practice/ap-african-american-studies.

Slave codes turned slavery from a labor system into a racial, legal status by tying who could be enslaved to skin color and family lineage. Laws like the Code Noir and South Carolina’s 1740 code defined chattel slavery as inheritable and lifelong, barred Blacks from basic freedoms (movement, learning, gathering), and prevented them from testifying or voting. That made “Blackness” a legal mark that removed citizenship rights and protections while reserving mobility and legal safeguards for white people—hardening the color line. Codes were also reactionary: after revolts (e.g., Stono), lawmakers tightened race-based rules to prevent resistance. These legal definitions appear in the CED under EK 2.7.A.2–A.3 and EK 2.7.B.1–B.3 and connect directly to LO 2.7.A/B on how law shaped Black life and citizenship. For review, see the Topic 2.7 study guide (https://library.fiveable.me/ap-african-american-studies/unit-2/7-slave-codes-and-landmark-cases/study-guide/LJ3LluHSLHD8k3xj) and practice questions (https://library.fiveable.me/practice/ap-african-american-studies).

Slave codes put tight, everyday limits on enslaved people to enforce chattel slavery as race-based, inheritable, lifelong status. Common restrictions included: no free movement (pass systems and bans on leaving plantations), no gathering or congregating (limits on meetings, drumming, or large groups), no learning to read, no possession of weapons, and bans on wearing fine clothes or jewelry that signaled status. Codes also controlled family life: some (like the Code Noir) regulated marriage and forbade interracial marriage; others treated Black people and certain Indigenous people as presumed enslaved. South Carolina’s 1740 code added explicit bans on drumming, literacy, running away, moving to other colonies, and even allowed death sentences or denied self-defense against white attackers. These laws hardened the racial color line and limited legal rights (e.g., testifying, voting). For more CED-aligned details, see the topic study guide (https://library.fiveable.me/ap-african-american-studies/unit-2/7-slave-codes-and-landmark-cases/study-guide/LJ3LluHSLHD8k3xj). Practice related AP-style questions at (https://library.fiveable.me/practice/ap-african-american-studies).

Start with a clear thesis that answers how American law limited enslaved people’s citizenship rights (e.g., “Slave codes, constitutional compromises, and court rulings legally barred Black people from full citizenship by making slavery race-based, inheritable, and outside constitutional protection”). Next, add brief context (colonial slave codes, Three-Fifths Compromise, antebellum legal debates). For the body: use 3+ documents to support claims—describe specific evidence (e.g., South Carolina 1740 prohibitions; Code Noir articles; Dred Scott opinion) and explain how each law or ruling curtailed movement, testimony, voting, or citizenship. Include one piece of outside evidence (Fugitive Slave Acts or later Reconstruction Amendments) to show change over time. Analyze perspective/purpose for at least two sources (who wrote it and why) and use reasoning (causation and continuity/change). Conclude by linking to the Reconstruction Amendments as legal reversal. Practice this format with the Topic 2.7 study guide (https://library.fiveable.me/ap-african-american-studies/unit-2/7-slave-codes-and-landmark-cases/study-guide/LJ3LluHSLHD8k3xj) and try related practice problems (https://library.fiveable.me/practice/ap-african-american-studies).

Short answer: Before the Civil War only a handful of states extended voting to Black men. By 1860, five of six New England states (Maine, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire) allowed Black men to vote. Outside New England, two Midwestern states—Iowa and Wisconsin—had court rulings or laws that effectively enfranchised Black men before the Fifteenth Amendment. Overall there were very few because most state constitutions and laws—North and South—used property, tax, residency, or explicit racial restrictions to deny Black suffrage; violence, intimidation, and local exclusion also suppressed Black political power. Nationally, the Dred Scott decision (1857) and the general legal framing of Black people’s status made broad enfranchisement unlikely until Reconstruction and the Fifteenth Amendment (1870). For AP prep, note how these legal limits connect to EK 2.7.A (citizenship rights) and use the Topic 2.7 study guide for review (https://library.fiveable.me/ap-african-american-studies/unit-2/7-slave-codes-and-landmark-cases/study-guide/LJ3LluHSLHD8k3xj). For more practice, try Fiveable’s unit questions (https://library.fiveable.me/practice/ap-african-american-studies).

The Dred Scott decision (1857) declared that Black people—enslaved or free—were “not citizens” and therefore lacked constitutional protections. Long-term impacts: it legally hardened the racial color line by denying citizenship rights (like suing in federal court, voting, or testifying), intensified Northern–Southern tensions, and helped push the nation toward the Civil War. Politically and legally, it motivated abolitionists and lawmakers to push for constitutional change; the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments during Reconstruction explicitly overturned Scott by abolishing slavery, defining national citizenship, and protecting voting rights. In short: Scott temporarily entrenched exclusionary racial law, but its shock to the political system led to the Reconstruction Amendments that redefined African American citizenship and protections under the Constitution (see EK 2.7.A.3 and EK 2.7.B.3). For a quick Topic 2.7 review, check the Fiveable study guide (https://library.fiveable.me/ap-african-american-studies/unit-2/7-slave-codes-and-landmark-cases/study-guide/LJ3LluHSLHD8k3xj) and practice questions (https://library.fiveable.me/practice/ap-african-american-studies).

Think of “hardening the color line” as law turning social bias into permanent, legal separation by race. Slave codes (e.g., South Carolina 1740, Louisiana’s Code Noir 1724) defined slavery as a race-based, inheritable, lifelong status and banned things like gathering, learning to read, testifying against whites, interracial marriage, and free movement. Those rules didn’t just control enslaved people—they legally reserved safety, jobs, voting, and mobility for white people and denied the same to Black people, even if free. Landmark cases like Dred Scott (1857) reinforced that by ruling Black people couldn’t be U.S. citizens. Together, codes + court decisions turned racial difference into fixed legal barriers to upward mobility and citizenship. For AP review, focus on EK 2.7.A.2–A.4 and EK 2.7.B.3 and check the Topic 2.7 study guide (https://library.fiveable.me/ap-african-american-studies/unit-2/7-slave-codes-and-landmark-cases/study-guide/LJ3LluHSLHD8k3xj). For practice, try problems at (https://library.fiveable.me/practice/ap-african-american-studies).

When enslaved people resisted—through running away, forming maroon communities, covertly learning to read, or uprisings like the 1739 Stono Rebellion—colonial and state governments responded by tightening laws to prevent future resistance. Lawmakers updated slave codes (e.g., South Carolina’s 1740 code) to criminalize gatherings, drumming, literacy, movement across borders, and self-defense, and to impose harsher penalties for escape or organized revolt. Those laws made slavery explicitly race-based and inheritable, hardened the color line, and limited legal rights for free Black people too. On the AP exam, this fits LO 2.7.B and EKs 2.7.B.1–2 and 2.7.A.2–3: you should connect specific events (Stono) to code changes and explain how codes + cases (like Dred Scott) denied citizenship and protection. For a focused review, see the Topic 2.7 study guide (https://library.fiveable.me/ap-african-american-studies/unit-2/7-slave-codes-and-landmark-cases/study-guide/LJ3LluHSLHD8k3xj) and practice questions (https://library.fiveable.me/practice/ap-african-american-studies).