the Abolition of slavery

One of the most revolutionary social reforms of the jacobin regime was the abolition of slavery in the French colonies. The colonies in the Caribbean- Martnique , Guadeloupe and San Domingo - were important suppliers of commodities such as tobacco, Indigo ,sugar and coffee. But the reluctance of Europeans to go and work in distant and unfamiliar lands meant a shortage of labour on the plantation. So this was made by a triangular slave trade between Europe, Africa and the Americas. The slave trade begin in the 17th century. French merchants sailed from the ports of Bordeaux and Nantes to the African coast, where they bought slaves from local chieftains. Branded and shackled, the slaves were packed tightly into shapes for the three months long voyage across the Atlantic to Caribbean. There they were sold to plantation owners. The exploitation of slaves labour made it possible to meet the growing demand in European markets for sugar, coffee and Indigo. Port cities like Bordeaux and Nantes owed there economic prosperity to the flourishing slave trade.

Throughout the 18th century there was little criticism of slavery in France. The national assembly held long debates about whether the rights of man should be extended to all friends subjects including those in the colony. But it did not pass any loss wearing  opposition from businessman whose income depended on the slave trade. It was finally the convention which in 1794 legislated to free all slaves in the French overseas possessions full stop this however turned out to be a short term major: 10 years later Napoleon re introduced slavery. Plantation owner understood their freedom as including the right to enslave African Negroes in pursuit of there economic interest. Slavery was finally abolished in French colonies in 1848.