Essay 3

French people helped free Africans who set foot on French soil purely for personal reasons. The French people not associated with the crown used the issue of slavery to criticize royal authority. The majority of the freed slaves won their freedom in Parlement of Paris or the Admiralty Court of France (Peabody, 6). These political institutions used slavery to gain leverage over the monarchy and his council ministers. Before the late eighteenth century, the monarchy could draft legislation without consulting a wide range of people (7). The Enlightenment brought about new ideas of individual freedom, which were adopted by the people in these courts. Their motives in freeing Africans were to challenge the authority of the king and to gain power.

French writers, such as Jean Jacques Rousseau, used slavery as a metaphor for monarchical domination. At the time, Rousseau was not interested with the living conditions of slaves in the French colonies. He is concerned with the “slave, white or black, only as a symbol of political domination” (96). His critique of slavery is motivated by his desire for limited authority of the crown. Voltaire’s was also critical of slavery because he believed that the relationship between the king and his subjects should be contractual (97). Voltaire also believed the different races were “fundamentally distinct” (96). His position enforced the idea that everyone should be free, but not necessarily equal. These writers were more driven by their wish for freedom, which did not always include people of other races.

The majority of the French were motivated by their own desire for freedom, but some lawyers were truly motivated by selfless reasons. The French lawyer, Henrion de Pansey, wrote that “higher ideals could propel lawyers into the service of slaves (103). These few individuals were sympathetic to the slave’s need for freedom. These people believed that the idea of freedom should be applied to everyone. Not all lawyers were motivated by unselfish reasons, however. The other reasons a lawyer could represent a slave were for remuneration or experience (103). The lawyers who fought on the behalf of the slaves certainly constituted a small number.

There were people in France who truly believed in individual rights, but these people did not represent the majority that championed the cause. The majority certainly believed in their freedom, which did not necessarily encompass everybody. These people wanted limitations be placed on the crown in order to ensure their rights.