From 1699 to 1763, the future state of Mississippi was a part of the French colony of Louisiana. In that time, enslaved Caribbean Creoles were brought to the area, establishing a slave society long before statehood. Le Code Noir—French for Black Codes—first appeared in 1685. Though primarily used to define slavery, the Black Codes also banned Jews from French colonies and forced enslaved people to adhere Catholic practices.
Credit: John Carter Brown Library at Brown University
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The first page of Le Code Noir. The paper is yellow with black print. Written in French, translated to: “The Black Code. Edict of the King Concerning the enforcement of order in the French American Islands from the month of March 1865.”