Black codes were restrictive laws designed to limit the freedom of African Americans and ensure their availability as a cheap labor force after slavery was abolished during the Civil War. Though the Union victory had given some 4 million enslaved people their freedom, the question of freed blacks’ status in the postwar South was still very much unresolved. Under black codes, many states required Black people to sign yearly labor contracts; if they refused, they risked being arrested, fined and forced into unpaid labor. Outrage over black codes helped undermine support for President Andrew Johnson and the Republican Party.
Answer: a. Rising rents cause many low-wage workers to not be able to afford housing.
Explanation: Market economy is an economic system in which economic agents (companies, banks, service providers) can operate with little government interference. It is a typical system of the capitalist economy.