The Anti-Peonage Act of 1867 was meant to outlaw a system that forced people to do involuntary labor to repay debts. But then the governments of the Southern states gave themselves a loophole.
The South’s economy was built on forced Black labor and the legislatures were determined to continue exploiting that labor no matter what. Under the peonage system, Black people were often arrested for petty or fabricated charges and not given counsel. Unable to pay the court costs or fines, they then became indebted to “employers” who paid these costs on their behalf.
Debt records were often “lost” by local courts, and workers who were accused of breaching their contract for any reason had to work that much longer. This trapped them in lifelong exploitation.
Peonage was supposedly prohibited in the U.S. by the 1940s, but in reality it still persists. In Mississippi, incarcerated Black people are forced to perform menial labor until they have paid restitution and other court-ordered debts.
Peonage reveals how much our country depends on the exploitation of Black labor, while doing everything possible to limit our progress. We must remain vigilant, as our economic and collective resistance challenges white supremacy and brings us closer to liberation.