Slavery
A Female Writer’s Response to the American Champion or a Well–Known Colonist
Better known for her defense of the rights of women, Olympe de Gouges defended the rights of the downtrodden in general. Here she points out the cruelty of slavery and expresses the hope that the slave trade will be abandoned.
Abbé Grégoire, "Memoir in Favor of the People of Color or Mixed–Race of Saint Domingue" (1789)
Baptiste–Henri Grégoire was a parish priest who was elected to the National Assembly by the clergy of Lorraine. He championed the rights of minorities both before the Revolution and in the legislature. The most noted beneficiaries of his attention were Jews and free blacks.
Viefville des Essars, On the Emancipation of the Negroes (1790)
This project to free enslaved people in the French colonies was presented to the National Assembly. The defensive tone and rhetorical structure that emerge in the course of this document demonstrate the power of the interests opposed to even cautious steps toward emancipation.
Grievance List (September 1789)
The Haitian free blacks and creoles, many of them substantial property owners and slaveholders, sent delegates to the National Assembly in France with a list of their stated grievances and demands.
The Coffee Planter of Saint Domingo (London, 1798)
Here Pierre Joseph Laborie provides the perspective of the planter. He gives a detailed description of the organization of enslaved labor in the production of coffee.
The Slaves from Africa
Born in 1750, Mederic-Louis-Élie Moreau de Saint-Mery grew up in Fort Royal, Martinique as a white Creole and studied law in Paris, France.
The Maroons
Born in 1750, Mederic-Louis-Élie Moreau de Saint-Mery grew up in Fort Royal, Martinique as a white Creole and studied law in Paris, France.
SAINT DOMINGUE: THE FREEDMEN
Born in 1750, Mederic-Louis-Élie Moreau de Saint-Mery grew up in Fort Royal, Martinique as a white Creole and studied law in Paris, France.
Saint Domingue: Some Geography
Born in 1750, Mederic-Louis-Élie Moreau de Saint-Mery grew up in Fort Royal, Martinique as a white Creole and studied law in Paris, France.
THE CODE NOIR (THE BLACK CODE)
The Code noir initially took shape in Louis XIV’s edict of 1685. Although subsequent decrees modified a few of the code’s provisions, this first document established the main lines for the policing of slavery right up to 1789.