Slave+Codes

=Summary on Slave Codes= The slave code defined the social, economic, and physical place of slaves in North Carolina. A lot of things that white Americans took as their natural right were denied slaves. Slaves were not allowed the pursuit of happiness as so promised in the Declaration of Independence. The reason for this was because a lot of things were not allowed to happen for them. First, they lacked freedom of movement, they couldn't go where they wished without permission or a note written by their master to allow such travel. Even if a slave was sighted on the road, a white person could ask to see the slave's pass. They also did not have free time. They could attend church on Sunday, go to muster day or militia day, or even court week, but they would have to have permission. The only time when the slaves could pretend to be free was at Christmas. Second, a slave could not legally learn to read or write, but they could learn to count because that was a skill needed on the plantation.Neither could they marry to another slave or free person. The law prevented marriage between a white person and a black person. Slaves did not have their own ceremonies of marriage when they decided to live together, but the arrangements were not legally recognized. Often, a slave man and woman became married even though they lived on different plantations. But, they could only see each other when their chores were done on Saturdays and had to be back at work on Monday morning. Slaves could earn money on their own, during hours when they were not assigned tasks or duties from their master. Quite a number of slaves kept their own gardens and their own livestock. Some of the smarter masters allowed slaves to sell the produce of their own labor, which eased in some ways the poverty that went with slavery. However, the case of George M. Horton, the vegetable seller turned poet, was rare. Few slaves ever were allowed control of their time.