# What happened to slaves in Louisiana territories between 1794-1802? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 25, 2012, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-slaves-in-louisiana-territories-between-1794-1802/635813 "2012-09-25T19:24:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2012, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-slaves-in-louisiana-territories-between-1794-1802/635813/1 "2012-09-25T19:24:57Z")
In 1794, slavery was abolished in France- I assume that means it was also abolished in all overseas French colonies. Is that accurate or not? Napoleon re-legalized slavery in 1802. But what happened in the meantime? Were slaves in the Louisiana territory freed just temporarily? If not, did Louisiana just start bringing in a host of new slaves from other regions? Did black slaves who were liberated in 1794 remain free after 1802, or were many/any re-enslaved? ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2012, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-slaves-in-louisiana-territories-between-1794-1802/635813/2 "2012-09-25T20:03:13Z")
The decree sounds very strongly worded to me. I couldn’t find anything on how it was actually implemented in the colonies. If former slaves were French citizens wouldn’t that allow them to travel? Leave the area where they were enslaved? Sadly, they had no way of knowing the decree would soon be reversed. [http://www.ambafrance-uk.org/Slavery-Slavery-was-abolished-in.html](http://www.ambafrance-uk.org/Slavery-Slavery-was-abolished-in.html) > [@](#): > > On 4 February 1794, the First Republic (Convention) _voted for the abolition of slavery in all French colonies._ The abolition decree stated that “the Convention declares the slavery of the Blacks abolished in all the colonies; consequently, all men, irrespective of colour, living in the colonies are French citizens and will enjoy all the rights provided by the Constitution.” > > Restored by the Consulate in 1802, slavery was definitively abolished in 1848 by the Second Republic, on Victor Schoelcher’s initiative. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2012, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-slaves-in-louisiana-territories-between-1794-1802/635813/3 "2012-09-25T20:16:32Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > In 1794, slavery was abolished in France- I assume that means it was also abolished in all overseas French colonies. Is that accurate or not? Technically, yes. In practice, not really. > [@](#): > > Napoleon re-legalized slavery in 1802. But what happened in the meantime? Were slaves in the Louisiana territory freed just temporarily? If not, did Louisiana just start bringing in a host of new slaves from other regions? In the meantime, Louisiana was a possession of Spain ( since 1762 ), who did not consider themselves bound by the French Revolutionary leadership’s pronouncements ;). Napoleon acquired the territory in 1801-1802 and sold it in 1803, just in time to not allow anyone to be emancipated. In the meantime the agitation led to the Pointe Coupee Conspiracy in 1795 in which a slave revolt was planned against the Spanish, but was betrayed and aborted. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2012, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-slaves-in-louisiana-territories-between-1794-1802/635813/4 "2012-09-25T20:17:30Z")
I’m sure their masters were happy to free their slaves after the abolition decree. They probably went right up to them and told them, “You’re free now! Go wherever you want!” On second thought . … ---
**Author:** ![Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freddy_the_Pig)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2012, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-slaves-in-louisiana-territories-between-1794-1802/635813/5 "2012-09-25T21:08:12Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > I’m sure their masters were happy to free their slaves after the abolition decree. They probably went right up to them and told them, “You’re free now! Go wherever you want!” In Haiti, they didn’t have to worry about that. The slaves had already freed themselves. The revolutionary government recognized the emancipation and for a time worked in concert with the slave leader Toussaint L’Ouverture. Napoleon attempted to restore slavery in 1802-03 and failed miserably, leading Toussaint’s successors (he had been captured) to declare independence and Napoleon to give up his dream of reasserting French control over Louisiana. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2012, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-slaves-in-louisiana-territories-between-1794-1802/635813/6 "2012-09-26T00:20:05Z")
Wow. Have some historians contended that the Hatian independence movement, then, indirectly helped prevent a Napoleonic entanglement in what is now US territory (perhaps preventing, or at least delaying, its becoming exactly that?) Or is that a stretch (Napoleon would have avoided wasting energy in the Americas in any case?) ---
**Author:** ![orcenio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/orcenio/32/1036_2.png) [@orcenio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/orcenio)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2012, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-slaves-in-louisiana-territories-between-1794-1802/635813/7 "2012-09-26T00:53:49Z")
> [@JKellyMap](#): > > Wow. Have some historians contended that the Hatian independence movement, then, indirectly helped prevent a Napoleonic entanglement in what is now US territory (perhaps preventing, or at least delaying, its becoming exactly that?) Or is that a stretch (Napoleon would have avoided wasting energy in the Americas in any case?) According to [Crash Course](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5A_o-nU5s2U&list=UUX6b17PVsYBQ0ip5gyeme-Q&index=12&feature=plcp) (Raoul Meyer/John Green)… yeah. The successful Haitian rebellion (formally France’s richest colony) was instrumental in forcing Napoleon to give up the American colonies. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2012, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-slaves-in-louisiana-territories-between-1794-1802/635813/8 "2012-09-26T06:46:49Z")
Merci! ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2012, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-slaves-in-louisiana-territories-between-1794-1802/635813/9 "2012-09-26T14:58:58Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > In 1794, slavery was abolished in France…Napoleon re-legalized slavery in 1802… Yeesh, I didn’t know that. Yet another reason to loathe him. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2012, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-slaves-in-louisiana-territories-between-1794-1802/635813/10 "2012-09-26T15:03:41Z")
This might be of interest: [http://www.knowla.org/entry.php?rec=1121](http://www.knowla.org/entry.php?rec=1121)