Abolition of Slavery by the French First Republic
- When
- 1794–1795
- Where
- Paris, seat of the National Convention; France
- Episodes
- 2
On 4 February 1794 the National Convention of the French First Republic, meeting in Paris, abolished slavery by law in France and its colonies. The law's first article declared slavery abolished in the colonies, and its second provided financial compensation to slave-owners. The measure was later reflected in the 1795 constitution.
Episodes
- The Convention abolishes slavery
On 4 February 1794 the Convention, under Robespierre's leadership, abolished slavery in law in France and its colonies.
- Abolition entrenched in the 1795 constitution
The French constitution passed in 1795 included in the declaration of the Rights of Man that slavery was abolished.
Background and detail
Background. The First Republic was founded on 21 September 1792 during the French Revolution, when the deputies of the Convention, gathered for the first time, unanimously decided the abolition of the constitutional monarchy in France. The Convention was the first elected Assembly of the First Republic, and on 4 February 1794 it abolished slavery in law in France and its colonies.
The Law of 4 February 1794. On 4 February 1794 the Convention abolished slavery in law in France and its colonies. The law's first article stated that slavery was abolished in the French colonies, while the second article stated that slave-owners would be indemnified with financial compensation for the value of their slaves.
Aftermath. The French constitution passed in 1795 included in its declaration of the Rights of Man that slavery was abolished. News of the Law of 4 February 1794, together with the revolution led by Colonel Delgrès, sparked another wave of rebellion in Saint-Domingue.
People involved
- National Convention · Legislative assembly that abolished slavery by law on 4 February 1794
- Maximilien Robespierre · Named by the source as the leader under whom the Convention abolished slavery; identity unresolved pending corroboration
Sources
- Abolitionism Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-21
- French First Republic Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-12
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.