As with much of the colonial history of the Americas, slavery played a major role in shaping the economies and societies of the colonies under the control of European powers. While slavery was a cruel system of exploitation across the board, colonies under the control of the French were known to be particularly brutal. In the years prior to the Haitian Revolution, Saint-Domingue was France's most valuable colony, making up a huge portion of sugar and coffee exports to Europe. The enslaved population that drove most of this plantation economy was subject to extreme living and working conditions--conditions so harsh that the average life expectancy for enslaved adults was 7-10 years.
 |
| Code Noir - 1742 edition (Buchanan) |
Ironically, the French colonies were supposed to be governed according to the Code Noir, a legal policy issued by King Louis XIV in 1685 that regulated the treatment of the enslaved population. The Code included many provisions such as education in the Catholic faith, prohibition of work on holidays, and requirements that the enslaved people received proper clothes, food, and care when sick (Buchanan). The Code was considered by some as an "improvement" for the enslaved population, but at its core, it still failed to consider the enslaved people as deserving of basic human rights enjoyed by the free white population. The Code also declared that the enslaved people did not have any legal capacity and ultimately served as a stricter control over the lives of their lives (Buchanan). On top of its insufficiency, the portions of the Code surrounding better care for the enslaved people were mostly disregarded and the Code itself had very little power to prevent cruelty and harsh punishments.
In contextualizing the Code Noir with the Haitian Revolution, it is important to recognize several discrepancies between policy and reality. While France was in control of Saint-Domingue, the realities of the colony were mostly influenced by those actually living there. With the white colonists mainly looking to drive their profits and keep the social hierarchy balanced in their favor, there was little incentive to have a more "humane" treatment of the enslaved population when they could be quickly replaced through the trans-Atlantic slave trade.
Keeping in mind that enacted policies don't necessarily translate to the exact provisions written on paper, a question for delegates to consider is: What other discrepancies existed between what France decreed/believed and what actually happened in Saint-Domingue? Comment any thoughts you have below!
To read more about the Code Noir, check out this article!
Comments
Post a Comment