Daimyo -- they were powerful landowners and feudal lords who ruled until their decline in the Meiji period.
Why did the south pass Slave codes ?
Since the colonial period, colonies and states had passed laws that discriminated against free Blacks. In the South, these were generally included in "slave codes"; the goal was to reduce the influence of free blacks (particularly after slave rebellions) because of their potential influence on slaves.
One of the main ways in which the United States attempted to strengthen its ties and influence with the nations of Latin America was by declaring that further attempts to colonize this area by Europeans would be met with resistance by the US--as embodied in the Monroe Doctrine.
