1734–1790: (The Disenfranchisement and Repression of the Gens de Couleur): Between 1715 and 1790, the population of affranchis (people of color) grew from 1,…

1734–1790: (The Disenfranchisement and Repression of the Gens de Couleur): Between 1715 and 1790, the population of affranchis (people of color) grew from 1,500 to 28,000, eventually owning about a quarter of the colony’s land and holding about a quarter of its captives. Despite their wealth and education in France, they were progressively reduced to second-class citizens through a series of humiliating decrees. After 1734, marriage between Europeans and affranchis was prohibited, and by 1758, they were barred from carrying sidearms, a restriction later extended to all firearms and ammunition. By 1771, they were excluded from public office and professions such as law, medicine, and teaching, and were forced to occupy segregated seats in theaters and churches. This systemic perversion of the Code Noir’s original promises created a “rancor and ill will” that threatened the very security of the white population.