South Carolina Black Codes Restrict Black Labor and Movement

South Carolina's Black Codes required Black workers to have a written contract each January or be declared vagrants subject to forced labor. Black people could not pursue skilled trades or commerce without purchasing a special license costing $10–$100 annually. Domestic servants could be physically disciplined by employers. The 'master and servant' framework legally re-established labor relations nearly identical to enslavement. Black Codes were enacted across all former Confederate states in late 1865.