Persuasive Speech On Abolishing Slavery

My fellow Frenchmen: Amidst all the debate found in this Assembly over government structure, financial crisis, and political philosophy, there is one subject that stands out to me as more controversial than any other.

I helped found the Society of the Friends of Blacks (Popiel, Carnes, and Kates, p.77).

Saint Domingue in the most profitable colony in the world (Popiel, Carnes, and Kates, p.45). Our financial system depends on the sugar and coffee trade from Saint Domingue at the ports of Bordeax, Brest, and Marsailles (Popiel, Carnes, and Kates, p.47). Without this vital source of revenue, our economy will surely collapse and put our revolution in danger. France cannot feasibly abolish slavery considering the state of our national debt.

As

We absolutely cannot eliminate slavery, but I am a Feuillant, and I stand for compromise. I propose that instead of abolishing slavery, we establish legislation that creates better working conditions for the slaves in Saint Domingue until France is in a stable enough financial position to begin discussion of eliminating slavery. The Code Noir, or Black Code, was established in 1685 during the reign of King Louis XIV (INSERT CITATION HERE). Essentially, it contains a list of rules and conditions regarding slavery in Saint-Dominque, as well as other French colonies. I believe several of the regulations are harsh, and should be amended. I feel this is a fair compromise to create a better life for the slaves in the colonies while still maintaining economic stability in

Firstly, Article XI states, “We forbid priests from conducting weddings between slaves if it appears that they do not have their masters' permission. We also forbid masters from using any constraints on their slaves to marry them without their wishes” (INSERT CITATION HERE). I wish to eliminate the first clause completely, allowing slaves to marry without their master’s permission, while leaving the clause ensuring a master can never force their slaves to marry. Article XVI prohibits slaves belonging to different masters gathering together under any circumstance (INSERT CITATION HERE). I propose that this article is removed entirely, allowing slaves to have a social life outside of labor. Next, Article XXXIII makes a slave who has struck his master, wife, or other family member be punished by death (INSERT CITATION HERE). The article should be amended so that slaves will receive that same punishments as whites do for committing the same crime. The last law I wish to fix is Article XLII, which allows masters chain slaves and beat them as a form of punishment (INSERT CITATION HERE). This is completely cruel and needs to be replaced with more humane forms of punishment for