what is the Black codes
BLACK CODES. BLACK CODES. Black Codes were the laws passed by Southern state legislatures to define the legal place of blacks in society after the Civil War. In Texas the Eleventh Legislature produced these codes in 1866.LACK CODES. BLACK CODES. Black Codes were the laws passed by Southern state legislatures to define the legal place of blacks in society after the Civil War. In Texas the Eleventh Legislature produced these codes in 1866.