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Louisy Mathieu becomes first black member of the French Parliament

When
1848–1849
Where
French Constituent Assembly
Episodes
1

Louisy Mathieu, a politician from Guadeloupe, served in the French Constituent Assembly from 1848 to 1849 as a Montagnard. He is recognized as the first freed slave to sit in this assembly. His tenure occurred during the establishment of the French Second Republic following the 1848 revolution.

Episodes

  1. 1848-1849 · French Constituent AssemblyLouisy Mathieu Seated in Constituent Assembly

    Louisy Mathieu, a freed slave from Guadeloupe, was seated in the French Constituent Assembly in 1848 as a Montagnard representative.

Background and detail

Political Context. The 1848 revolution led to the creation of the Second Republic and the election of the Constituent Assembly. This assembly operated under a new constitution that proclaimed a democratic republic with direct universal suffrage. Louisy Mathieu served as a Montagnard, a faction associated with radical politics, during this transitional period.

Legacy. Louisy Mathieu is historically noted as the first freed slave to sit in the Constituent Assembly. His service from 1848 to 1849 represents a milestone in the political representation of emancipated individuals in France. This achievement occurred within the broader context of the 1848 abolition of slavery in the French Empire.

People involved

  • Louisy Mathieu · Politician from Guadeloupe, Member of the Constituent Assembly

Sources

  1. Louisy Mathieu Wikipedia, revision of 2026-03-30
  2. French Second Republic Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-17
  3. Guadeloupe Wikipedia, revision of 2026-10-03

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.