Read Glimmers of Change for Free Online Page B

eyes.
    “They’re also talking about mulattoes,” Jeremy observed. “That means me.”
    “You have to stay out of Richmond,” Rose cried as she edged closer to her twin. “You won’t be safe there.”
    Jeremy reached out to take her hand. “I can’t hide here on the plantation, Rose,” he said gently.
    “Why not?” Rose asked, desperation edging her voice as her eyes filled. “I’ve only known you for eight months. I won’t let some ignorant bigot take you away from me.”
    Jeremy squeezed her hand tightly. “I have a factory to run,” he reminded her. “But more importantly, I refuse to live my life in fear. If we all run in fear, or give in to the mandates of the Black Codes, we’ll be letting them win.” He smiled softly as he gazed at Rose’s mutinous look. “All of us are going to have things to battle in the years ahead. I counted the cost before I decided to acknowledge my heritage. I knew there was risk involved, but I wouldn’t change my decision if I could make it again. I choose to live in honesty, and I’m proud to have the most wonderful twin in the world.”
    The tears in Rose’s eyes spilled over. She turned to Matthew. “Have these laws passed in Virginia?”
    “Not yet,” Matthew said slowly, but he refused to give her false hope.
    “But they will,” Rose said flatly. Matthew’s silence was her answer.
    “There’s more, isn’t there?” Carrie’s voice broke into the silence. “Tell us everything. We can’t protect ourselves or fight if we don’t know it all.”
    Matthew waved the thick sheaf of paper. “I’ll tell you parts of them, but that’s why I brought this with me for all of you to read. The other states have worded things a little differently, but they basically all say the same thing.” He sighed heavily. “Whites can avoid the code’s penalty by swearing a pauper’s oath, but the sheriffs of each county have been mandated to hire out the blacks to whomever will pay their fine and all costs.”
    “Meaning the plantation owners buy them again,” Simon said, rage filling his voice.
    Matthew nodded. “There is also a special tax on blacks between the age of eighteen and sixty. Those who cannot pay can be arrested for vagrancy.”
    “And sent back into forced labor,” Rose said, the horror growing in her voice. “Most of the freed slaves just starting out can’t pay a tax like that.”
    Matthew plunged ahead, his expression saying he just wanted to get it over with. “Another law allows the state to take custody of children whose parents are deemed not able to support them. These children will be apprenticed to their former owners.” His voice deepened. “These apprentices can be disciplined with corporal punishment. They can also recapture apprentices who escape and put them in prison if they resist.”
    “But what about the Thirteenth Amendment?” Carrie gasped. “Our country abolished slavery and involuntary servitude.”
    “Mississippi rejected it on December fifth,” Matthew responded. “The others will follow them. They believe President Johnson’s willingness to give them their way has opened the door for them to ignore the amendment. They don’t believe there will be any consequences.”
    A deep silence fell on the room as everyone struggled to absorb Matthew’s news.
    “I’m sorry,” he said finally. “I wish I had better news.”
    “Of course you do,” Moses said heavily. “No wonder you have been holding this back. It certainly would have put a damper on our holiday spirit.” He shook his head. “I’m trying to understand just what this will mean for all of us, for the South, and for our country as a whole.”
    “It’s infuriating!” Abby broke in. “I just don’t understand how President Johnson can allow all this to happen. What was the point of four horrible years of war? What is Congress going to do about it? I have friends in the Senate who have to be livid about this.”
    Matthew nodded. “You’re right,