Everything. It was against the law to teach slaves. If someone wants to make people into slaves or keep them slaves they don't want them to be able to read or write. Educated people can't be made into slaves. An educated person can read ideas and write about those ideas and create conditions for revolt. They can think critically about all sorts of things. First thing Hitler did in Poland was to close schools and kill teachers. He want Poland to be a slave country for Germany. When the Jim Crow laws were made one of the things they included for voting was to read a passage of the constitution and tell what it meant. For people who had been slaves this was a way to keep them from voting. It will take another 100 years with the 65 voting rights act before they can vote.
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Slaves were often prohibited from learning how to read and write as a way to control and limit their knowledge and agency. This restriction aimed to maintain the status quo and prevent slaves from organizing or seeking their freedom through education.
In the United States, many Southern states had laws known as "slave codes" that prohibited enslaved individuals from learning to read and write. These laws were put in place to maintain control over slaves and prevent them from gaining knowledge and organizing rebellions.
Black slaves were prohibited from marrying without their owner's permission, learning to read and write, owning property, or gathering in large groups without supervision. Additionally, they were not able to move freely or leave the plantation without permission.
In many historical societies where slavery existed, slaves were often prohibited from learning to read and write as a means of maintaining control and power over them. However, there were some instances where slaves managed to acquire these skills in secret or through clandestine means.
Laws to control the behavior of slaves regulated their movement, social interactions, and education. Some laws prohibited slaves from gathering in large groups, learning to read and write, and traveling without permission. Additionally, slaves were forbidden from owning property, testifying in court against whites, and marrying without their owner's consent.
Laws such as the Slave Codes and later Black Codes in the United States prohibited enslaved Africans from learning to read or write. These laws were used to maintain control over enslaved individuals and prevent them from gaining knowledge and autonomy.