Slave Codes (www.boundless.com/u-s-history/slavery-and-reform-1820-1840/slavery-in-the-u-s/slave-codes/) web citations
Slave codes were laws each state (or colony) had which defined the rules for slaves and the rights of the masters. Slave codes were created to show the relationship between slave and master and to legally support slavery. Some slave codes were things like slave children weren't allowed to learn to read, the slaves had to have papers from their masters to travel, and many others.