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Early Modern (1450 CE - 1800 CE)

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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.

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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.

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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.

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That Seductive Mulatto Woman

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.

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Voodoo

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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PRIMARY SCHOOLS

During the period of revolutionary government, the Jacobins had introduced the idea of universal, free, secular education provided by the state.

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CULTURE: WEIGHTS AND MEASURES

Among its many lasting contributions to French and western history, the French Revolution initiated the metric system as a more rational and universally applicable way of conveying weights and measures than the various systems in place across France prior to 1789.