France Black Code

French lawmaker Max Mathiasin of the French Caribbean island Guadeloupe, poses at the entrance of the National Assembly in Paris, Wednesday, May 27, 2026, before lawmakers examine a bill to formally repeal the Code Noir, or Black Code, the 17th-century royal edict that governed slavery in French colonies and treated enslaved people as property.

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France moves to repeal Code Noir, the slavery law it never abolished

France moves to repeal Code Noir, the slavery law it never abolished

France's parliament is moving to repeal a slavery law called Code Noir that has remained quietly in place for nearly two centuries after slavery was abolished. French lawmakers will likely formally eliminate Code Noir or Black Code in a vote on Thursday. The colonial-era law that classified people as property stayed quietly in place. That realization has upset many. Especially those who live in French overseas departments. Most of their residents are descended from the enslaved.