What were the southern 'black codes' and what restrictions did they place on southern African Americans?

The southern "black codes" were laws passed in Southern states after the Civil War restricting African-Americans from doing certain things, which would ultimately lead them to suppress their freedom and hinder their opportunity at moving up the social ladder. This included stopping African-Americans from voting, bearing arms, gathering in groups for worship and learning how to read and write. This also included allowing local authorities to arrest them for minor incidents and to make them do forced labor.