Glossary
Chief Justice Taney
Roger B. Taney was the Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court who delivered the majority opinion in the landmark Dred Scott v. Sandford case.
Example:
Chief Justice Taney's infamous opinion in Dred Scott asserted that Black people had 'no rights which the white man was bound to respect,' codifying their legal inferiority.
Code Noir
A specific set of slave codes enacted in French colonies, such as Louisiana, that regulated the lives of enslaved people and free people of color, often mandating Catholic instruction while restricting freedoms.
Example:
The Code Noir in French Louisiana dictated not only the treatment of enslaved people but also the expulsion of Jews and the strict observance of Catholic holidays.
Código Negro
Spanish colonial slave codes that, similar to other European colonial codes, regulated the lives of enslaved people and aimed to maintain social order and control.
Example:
While less detailed in the notes, the Código Negro in Spanish territories also established legal frameworks for slavery, often with unique provisions regarding manumission or religious practices compared to other colonial powers.
Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857)
A landmark Supreme Court decision that ruled African Americans, whether enslaved or free, were not and could never be U.S. citizens, and that Congress could not prohibit slavery in federal territories.
Example:
The Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857) decision intensified sectional tensions by invalidating the Missouri Compromise and expanding the potential reach of slavery into new territories.
Free State Discrimination Laws
Laws enacted in states where slavery was abolished that nonetheless imposed discrimination and restrictions on free Black people, limiting their rights, mobility, and economic opportunities.
Example:
Despite being 'free,' African Americans in many Northern states faced free state discrimination laws that barred them from voting, settling in certain areas, or accessing public education.
Fugitive Slave Clause
A clause in Article IV, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution that required states to return escaped enslaved people to their enslavers, even if they had fled to a free state.
Example:
The Fugitive Slave Clause meant that an enslaved person who escaped to a Northern state was still legally vulnerable to recapture and forced return to bondage.
Missouri Compromise
A federal statute enacted in 1820 that regulated slavery in the country's western territories by prohibiting the practice in the former Louisiana Territory north of the 36°30′ parallel.
Example:
The Missouri Compromise was a temporary legislative solution to the expansion of slavery, but its principles were ultimately overturned by the Supreme Court's ruling in Dred Scott v. Sandford.
Race-Based Legal Restrictions
Laws and codes that established a racial hierarchy, granting privileges to white individuals while systematically denying rights and opportunities to Black individuals, both enslaved and free.
Example:
Race-based legal restrictions often prevented Black individuals from testifying against white people in court, severely limiting their access to justice and legal recourse.
Slave Codes
Sets of laws enacted in the Americas that defined enslaved people as property, not human beings, and were designed to control, oppress, and deny them basic human rights.
Example:
Colonial assemblies implemented slave codes to prohibit enslaved individuals from learning to read, owning weapons, or gathering without white supervision, thereby maintaining social control.
South Carolina's 1740 Slave Code
A particularly harsh and comprehensive set of laws enacted in South Carolina following the Stono Rebellion, designed to strip enslaved Africans of basic human rights and prevent future uprisings.
Example:
South Carolina's 1740 Slave Code explicitly prohibited teaching enslaved people to read or write, demonstrating the enslavers' fear that literacy could lead to self-empowerment and organized resistance.
Stono Rebellion (1739)
A significant slave revolt that occurred in South Carolina in 1739, leading to the enactment of harsher and more restrictive slave codes in the colony.
Example:
The fear and panic incited by the Stono Rebellion (1739) directly prompted South Carolina to pass its comprehensive 1740 Slave Code, which further curtailed the rights and freedoms of enslaved people.
Three-Fifths Compromise
A provision in Article I, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution that counted enslaved people as three-fifths of a person for purposes of congressional representation and direct taxation.
Example:
The Three-Fifths Compromise significantly boosted the political power of Southern states in the House of Representatives, allowing them to protect the institution of slavery.