Slave codes were laws in each US state, which defined the status of slaves and the rights of masters. These codes gave slave-owners absolute power over the African slaves.

Some Slavery Codes made teaching, Mulatto, Indian and indentured slaves illegal.

South Carolina established its slave code in 1712, based on the 1688 English slave code employed in Barbados. The South Carolina slave code served as the model for other colonies in North America. In 1770, Georgia adopted the South Carolina slave code, and then Florida adopted the Georgia code. The 1712 South Carolina slave code included provisions such as:

The South Carolina slave code was revised in 1739 with the following amendments:

The slave codes of the tobacco colonies (Delaware, Maryland, North Carolina, and Virginia) were modelled on the Virginia code, which was initially established in 1667. The 1682 Virginia code included the following provisions:

Slaves were a common sight in the nation's capital. Harsh regulation of these urban slaves, most of whom were servants for the government elite, was in effect until the 1850s. Compared to some southern codes, the District of Columbia was relatively moderate. Slaves were allowed to hire their services, live apart from their masters, and free blacks were even allowed to live in the city and operate schools. The code could be used by attorneys and clerks who referred to it when drafting contracts or briefs. By 1860, there were over 11,000 free blacks and over 3,000 slaves in the District of Columbia. Following the Compromise of 1850, the sale of slaves was outlawed within Washington D.C. Slavery in the District of Columbia ended in 1862 and nearly 3,000 slaves were offered a compensation. The official printed slave code was issued only a month before slavery ended there.