▁very ▁different ▁patterns ▁of ▁sla very ▁compared ▁to ▁the ▁British ▁colon ies . ▁As ▁written , ▁the ▁Code ▁No ir ▁gave ▁some ▁rights ▁to ▁slaves , ▁including ▁the ▁right ▁to ▁marry . ▁Although ▁it ▁author ized ▁and ▁cod ified ▁cruel ▁corpor al ▁pun ishment ▁against ▁slaves ▁under ▁certain ▁conditions , ▁it ▁forb ade ▁slave ▁own ers ▁to ▁tort ure ▁slaves , ▁to ▁separate ▁married ▁cou ples ▁( and ▁to ▁separate ▁young ▁children ▁from ▁their ▁moth ers ). ▁It ▁required ▁own ers ▁to ▁instruct ▁slaves ▁in ▁the ▁Catholic ▁faith , ▁imp lying ▁that ▁Afr icans ▁were ▁human ▁be ings ▁end owed ▁with ▁a ▁soul , ▁an ▁idea ▁that ▁had ▁not ▁been ▁acknowled ged ▁until ▁then . ▁ ▁The ▁Code ▁No ir ▁forb ade ▁inter ra cial ▁mar ri ages , ▁but ▁inter ra cial ▁relationships ▁were ▁formed ▁in ▁La ▁Louis iane ▁from ▁the ▁earliest ▁years . ▁In ▁New ▁Orleans ▁society ▁particularly , ▁a ▁formal ▁system ▁of ▁conc ub in age , ▁known ▁as ▁pla ç age , ▁developed . ▁Usually ▁formed ▁between ▁young ▁white ▁men ▁and ▁African ▁or ▁African - American ▁women , ▁these ▁relationships ▁were ▁formal ized ▁with ▁contract s ▁that ▁sometimes ▁provided ▁for ▁freedom ▁for ▁a ▁woman ▁and ▁her ▁children ▁( if ▁she ▁was ▁still ▁ens la ved ), ▁education ▁for ▁the ▁mixed - race ▁children ▁of ▁the ▁union , ▁and ▁sometimes ▁a ▁property ▁settlement . ▁The ▁free ▁people ▁of ▁color ▁became ▁an ▁intermediate ▁social ▁cas te ▁between ▁the ▁whites ▁and ▁the ▁mass ▁of ▁ens la ved ▁black s ; ▁many ▁pract