1802
Colonial legislationSupplement
Napoleonic restoration of colonial slavery
French Caribbean; enslaved and formerly enslaved people
Napoleonic policy preserved or restored slavery in French colonies where French power could enforce it. The reversal exposed the vulnerability of emancipation to imperial interests and military reconquest.
Dates preserve the source’s precision. This entry is part of a selected historical record; its qualifications and sources are retained below.
Context / qualification
The legal act and military reimposition differed by colony; slavery was not successfully restored in independent Haiti.