Abolition of slavery in France

The French National Convention’s 1794 decree abolished slavery in French colonies and granted citizenship to formerly enslaved people. Napoleon’s government reversed it in 1802, though abolition endured in some colonies.

French Revolution: A period of political and social upheaval in France beginning in 1789 that ended the monarchy and transformed its institutions. Revolutionary debates over rights and citizenship shaped the Convention’s abolition decree.
French National Convention decree of 16 Pluviôse Year II: The 1794 law that abolished slavery in French colonies and declared formerly enslaved people French citizens. This is the specific legislative act at the center of the abolition.
Napoleon: French military and political leader who became emperor in 1804 after seizing power in 1799. His government reversed the 1794 policy in colonies where it could reimpose slavery.
Saint-Domingue expedition: The French military expedition sent in 1802 to regain control of Saint-Domingue and restore French authority. Its defeat prevented Napoleon from reimposing slavery in Saint-Domingue.
Haitian Revolution: A revolution in Saint-Domingue from 1791 to 1804 that ended slavery and French colonial rule, founding Haiti. Insurrection and emancipation in Saint-Domingue pressed France to recognize freedom.
French colonial empire: The overseas territories ruled by France across different periods of its history. The decree applied to French colonies, not only to metropolitan France.
Law of 20 May 1802: A French law that maintained slavery in colonies where it had not been abolished and restored the slave trade. It gave legal force to Napoleon’s retreat from abolition.
Toussaint Louverture: A leader of the Haitian Revolution who rose from slavery and became governor of Saint-Domingue. He defended emancipation and helped build the colony’s post-slavery government.
Society of the Friends of the Blacks: A French abolitionist society founded in 1788 that campaigned against the slave trade and slavery. Its advocacy helped make abolition a subject of French political debate.
French Caribbean: France’s Caribbean territories, including Saint-Domingue, Guadeloupe, and Martinique. Colonial conditions differed: enforcement of the decree varied across these islands.

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